What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?
by AnimeGirl1220
Summary: Ebony and Ivory are twin sisters and best friends. When they're randomly chosen by an organization from the future to conduct an experiment, they get unwillingly thrown back into the Civil War era to 'fix' a few things. But, all may not be as it seems.
1. An Unexpected Experiment

**Yes, everyone, instead of giving my other stories a long-overdue update, I'm starting a completely new one. But this one has nothing to do with the typical crazy anime or Silent Hill stories that I've written, as the category and genre has already suggested. Yes, I'm writing a romantic comedy story about the most awesome Civil War movie ever, Glory. I have created two totally new OCs just for the purpose of this story, and please, if the characters are OOC, just tell me so I can fix it. Also, because I couldn't post the whole summary (I already know before posting that it's gonna be too long XD), due to it being too long, I'm putting it right HERE:**

_Ebony and Ivory, twin sisters and best friends, are asked by a mysterious boy named Caleb to participate in a 'harmless' experiment. they 'accept', and their lives are turned upside-down when they are hurled back in time, all the way to the Civil War era. They then learn that Caleb is actually from the year 3017, and is supposed to find two willing participants to change history. Well, in this case, semi-willing. Enter, the dashing Robert Shaw and the flirtatious Cabot Forbes, along with the 54__th__ Massachusetts regiment! What happens when they fall in love with a certain two aforementioned Union soldiers? Will they stick together like always, or will they take sides and be torn apart? Will they succeed and change history for the better, or can they even succeed in surviving?_

**Suspenseful, eh? Also, there's a whopping five genres, not just two; Romance, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction, and Adventure. So, yeah. That's about it. Well, without further adu, let the madness begin!**

**The Unexpected Experiment**

**Ebony POV**

I'm sitting in US History class, bored out of my mind, staring out the window. As far as I'm concerned, history can go f-k itself in a barn. How Ivory can actually _enjoy _this crap, I will never know. Personally, I prefer Science, which Ivory hates. It's like a never ending war between us. Speaking of wars, we're studying Civil War. Still. It's nearing the end of first quarter, and we started on the first day of school. I'm now ready to shoot myself.

Oh, how rude of me, not to introduce myself. Could you tell I was being sarcastic? Anyway, I'm Ebony. Ebony Brooke. My sister is Ivory Brooke. Wassup?

My teacher, Mrs. Flaaner, is once again going on and on and _on _about how amazing Robert Shaw is. Ugh, does she ever shut up? Honestly, the woman probably fantasizes about him behind her husband's back.

Now, don't get me wrong; I've got nothing against the guy, and he actually seems pretty cool, but, seriously, after hearing about how amazing and brave he is, over, and over, and over, day, after day, after day, I've kind of gotten sick of it. Of course, it's not like I paid much attention after the first few days; all I really hear now is white noise. But I like hearing different white noise from time to time, not the same damn thing over and over again.

"Ebony Brooke! Are you paying attention?" I sighed. Shit.

"Yes, Mrs. Flaaner," I said in a droning voice.

"Then, would you mind telling me what I was just talking about?" I smirked; this was an easy one. After all, what does she talk about every single day?

"Robert Shaw," I replied without hesitation.

She raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright then, if you were _really _paying attention, then you should be able to tell me how old he was when he died, correct?" I froze; we went over that? Shit, piss, f-k! Of course, it's just my luck she'd start going over new facts once I stopped paying attention! I scanned my book frantically, looking for the answer.

"Well, miss Brooke? We're waiting," she said smugly. I didn't even have to look up to know that she was smirking. I heard my classmates snickering at me. Tards.

"He was," I started, finding the line where the information was listed, "twenty-five." I said it before it really registered with me, and when it did, I stared at the page, wondering if I'd read it wrong. I went over the line again, once, twice, three times, but it still said the same thing. Sure, I knew he'd been in the army, but I couldn't believe that he'd died so young…

"Miss Brooke," said Mrs. Flaaner, "as punishment for not paying attention, you are to stay after class for detention." The class erupted in mocking laughter. I only grunted in confirmation.

Of course, I wasn't _actually_ going to stay; it was Friday, and I wouldn't have to see her all weekend. I could deal with Flaaner on Monday.

She continued to lecture us after that, but for some reason, I just couldn't tune it out now. It's like I just felt this sudden compulsion to actually _listen _to what she was saying, as if it was suddenly fascinating. Weird, huh?

**Ivory POV**

I watched as my sister Ebony fumbled for the answer to Mrs. Flaaner's question. I sighed when she was given detention; mostly because I knew that she would just slip out when Flaaner wasn't looking. Of course, I wasn't going to tell; what are best friends (and sisters) for?

Though, what surprised me is that it seemed like she was actually paying attention after Flaaner jumped on her. It's like she's suddenly interested. Huh. Well, it's none of my business.

"Now, as I was saying," started Mrs. Flaaner, but she was cut off when the end of the day bell rang. She sighed, "Alright, I suppose it's time for you to go, but we will pick this up on Monday! And Ebony, _stay after for detention!_"

Everyone, having gathered their things, stood and went out the door. Of course, Ebony would have to wait until Flaaner was busy with something and blend in with the outgoing crowd, so I waited patiently outside the door for her.

As usual, she appeared a moment later, and said, "C'mon, let's get out of here before Flanner flappy-mouth notices I'm gone."

Before we were even half-way down the hall, I heard Alison Mitchell, the self-appointed 11th grade snitch, call out, "Mrs. Flaaner! Ebony is trying to escape detention!" Upon hearing that, we sprinted down the hall, rounded the corner, and rode down the handrail when we got to the stairs. Yes, we _rode _down it. As it, we sat our behinds down on the rail and slid. We do that a lot, when escaping the Flaan. Which happens a lot, since Ebony gets detention a lot.

We didn't bother getting on the bus; Flaaner could easily stop ours and pull Ebony off, so we cut through the four-foot wide gap between our building and the boys' building (yes, our school separates by gender).

I knew we weren't out of the woods yet, because I heard Mrs. Flaaner holler, "_Ebony Brooke! Get back here this instant! Ivory, you are to stay for detention also!_" Looking back, I saw her gaining on us.

That was another thing about Flaaner; she would chase a student almost anywhere if they were supposed to stay for detention.

We sprinted across the freeway behind our school, not bothering to wait until the 'Walk' light flashed on. From there, we fled into the woods that surround our little town like some sort of shield. Beyond the woods (all forty-two acres) lay the open country, where our parents used to take us for picnics when we were younger.

We both knew that Flaaner wouldn't follow us into the woods; she's terrified of them, and it's the only place she wouldn't go. She thinks that bears live in the woods. They don't, of course; the worst that lives around here are a few raccoons, the occasional fox, and a deer or two. But try telling that to Mrs. Flaaner.

We stopped after running a good couple yards in. I leaned up against a tree, panting, and Ebony plopped unceremoniously on the ground, gasping for air.

"Well," she said, after taking a moment to catch her breath, "I think we lost her."

I laughed, "You think?"

**Ebony POV**

I walked next to my sister in silence, listening to the cry if the cicadas. They wouldn't be around much longer; fall was on it's way, and the cold air would definitely drive off any trace of the bugs. Which kind of sucked, because listening to cicadas was _definitely _better than listening to Mrs. Flaaner's lectures. Plus, they made it easier to tune everything out; it gave me something to focus on.

"Ebony?" I heard Ivory say.

"Yeah, Ivy?" I asked, for once using her little-known nickname.

"I'm a little confuzzled," she said.

"About what?" I asked. Usually, if she avoided her own question like this, it was something important.

"Well," she said, biting her lip, "I was just wondering… do you-" her question was cut off by the sound of a surprised and pained yell.

"What was that?" I cried out, jumping back a little.

"I don't know! Hey, I think it came from over there!"

We ran through the bushes, only to find… a boy with cinnamon-colored hair, crystal-clear blue eyes, and freckles. He looked older than us, maybe in his twenties, and he wore a silver t-shirt and baggy green cargo-shorts. He was rubbing his lower back, and I think we could _both _see that he'd managed to fall flat on his ass.

"Who are you? !" I shouted angrily.

"I," he said, standing up and brushing himself off, "am Caleb. Nice to meet you, ladies. Er, what are your names?"

"I'm Ebony, and this is Ivory. What's it to you?" I snapped bitterly. I don't know why, but I didn't like him. He seemed like a real pretty-boy prick. Something about him just made me want to kick him in the happy place. In short, I didn't trust him. At all. Not one bit.

**Ivory POV**

I don't really see why Ebony's so against Caleb. He seems nice enough… Well, I may be judging a book by it's cover here, but really, he doesn't seem all that bad. But I would like to know where he came from, how he just suddenly _appeared_, and why I've never seen him before.

In a small town like ours, everyone knows, well, everyone. And everyone knows when someone new moves into the neighborhood. I'd never seen Caleb before, which is really odd, and I hadn't heard about anyone moving into the neighborhood. Plus, our town is really out of the way; the nearest town to ours is about 50 miles south. So, the million dollar question is… where _did _he come from?

**Caleb POV**

I could obviously see that Ebony didn't trust me, and though Ivory looked a little more friendly, I could see plainly that she was skeptical, too. Over the course of the next few awkwardly silent seconds, the skeptical look became one of distrust. Shit.

**Ebony POV**

After a few awkward seconds, I asked, "What are you doing here?" lacing the words with so much venom they were dripping.

He smiled and said, "Actually, I'm looking for two willing participants to, well, participate, in a completely harmless experiment. I know, it sounds sketchy," he added, seeing my deadly glare, "but trust me, it's completely harmless."

I looked at Ivory. She seemed uncertain.

"Well," she said in a tone that meant she was thinking about it, but not entirely sure.

"Good enough for me!" Caleb yelled, and he grabbed my wrist, and Ivory's.

"Hey!" I screamed, trying to yank away. "Let us go!"

"Sorry," he said, "no can do."

"No CAN'T do, you son of a bitch! Now f-king let us go!" Pardon my French.

"Ooh, testy, aren't we? Sorry, I can't. But don't worry; this'll all be over soon."

I could hear Ivory screaming. F-k, f-k, f-k! What the hell is this guy going to do to us? !

Suddenly, everything began to swirl around us. WTF? ! It's official; this is the weirdest day of my life!

Then, everything faded to black.

**Honestly, I want to write more, so I'm just going to continue writing in a few seconds, with the next chapter. This is too damn exciting! And **_**I'm **_**the one writing it, so I already know what happens. And I'm STILL hyped up! Please review! Thankies~!**


	2. Mingling and Joining the Army

**Like I said, I just picked this right back up. Also, if I write in the POV of a character that **_**isn't **_**my OC, the POV'll be 3****rd**** person. And, this story is mostly going to be from Ebony's POV, but will have some Ivory and Caleb, and any other OCs I come up with. I probably won't go to the original movie characters' POVs much, though, if at all, unless I just can't resist and it just seems **_**right**_**. Though, this chapter does have a little bit of Robert's (3****rd**** person) POV in it. So, yeah. Also, if Ivory seems kind of like a Mary-Sue, please politely ignore it. Her flaws and shit that would get her deemed as a normal, loveable character are gonna come into this a bit later… like, in the next chapter. So, yeah. Also… this chapter is ten and a half pages long, so get comfy, and prepare for a long read. Ebony will be swearing a **_**lot **_**in this one. With all of that said, enjoy~!**

**Mingling and Joining the Army**

**Ebony POV**

I groaned. Wha-? What the hell just happened?

I sat up, and noticed that I was lying in the middle of a street. Ivory was next to me, waking up, and I saw Caleb standing a few feet away, smirking. Caleb, that son of a-!

"Caleb!" I snapped. "Where the hell are we? !"

"Actually," he said, his smirk widening, "I think the better question would be _when _you are, not where." When? What that hell is that supposed to mean? I took a good look around, and my jaw dropped. It looked like an old colonial neighborhood, like the ones I'd seen in my history textbook. WHAT THE HELL? !

I stared at Caleb incredulously for a moment, before saying, "WHAT THE F-K DID YOU DO TO US? !"

He hissed at me, "Quiet down! You _want _the whole neighborhood to hear you?"

"What. Is. Going. On. Here," I hissed venomously. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Well, for starters, we're currently in the eighteen hundreds, you don't really need to know the specific year, and I'm from the year 3017," he said. "I'm a time traveler from the organization Enchantment. We're working to, ah, 'improve' the past, starting with the Civil War. That's where you two come in. I need the both of you," he gestured to me and Ivory, "to fix a few crucial 'bloopers' in the past.

"We've determined that this can only end well, provided you do what you were brought here to do and don't kill me, or get yourselves killed. On top of that, you're allowed to use any method necessary to achieve your several goals. Comprende?"

I let this sink in for a minute, before I said, "So, you're saying that you dropped us in the eighteen hundreds to fix some things that weren't done right in the first place? And we're allowed to do what ever we need to, as long as we fix it?"

"Them," he corrected, "fix _them_. There's more than one 'blooper' that you need to patch up. We're just starting you out here, with one single task. If you can complete it successfully, we'll bring you someplace else, provided you agree."

Ivory spoke up, "If we have a choice, then take us home."

"I second that," I muttered.

"Sorry," he said, "but we need to know if this'll work, so you kind of _have _to stay here for this one. But after this, you'll have a choice. If you still want to go back, you can. But if you want to keep doing this, well, that'll be ideal."

"But," Ivory said, looking worried, "what about our parents? Won't they worry about us?"

"Ah," he said, waggling a finger, "you underestimate the powers of time travel. Once this is finished, I'll just drop you off right back where you were, just a few seconds later. I can't pin it down to the millisecond… yet."

"Great," I muttered sarcastically, "so, basically, we're stuck here till' we do your dirty work?"

"Pretty much. Oh, and, one other thing; try not to get too, eh, _attached _to the people you meet here. You're not gonna be here that long," after that, he muttered something that was too low to understand. I decided I didn't really care. I just wanted the f-k out of here.

**Caleb POV**

"Great," Ebony muttered sarcastically, "so, basically, we're stuck here till' we do your dirty work?"

"Pretty much," I said, "Oh, and, one other thing; try not to get too, eh, _attached _to the people you meet here. You're not gonna be here that long," the next part I mumbled, "and if you do this wrong, neither will they." Ebony didn't seem to completely hear that, nor did she seem to care. Tch, fine by me. Makes my job a lot easier if they don't ask too many questions.

**Ivory POV**

I wondered what it was that Caleb said, after the whole 'don't get too attached' part, but I decided not to ask. They seemed to forget about me, anyway. Well, whatever. I don't mind… okay, so maybe I mind. I'm kind of timid, if you want to put it like that. I mean, sure, I'm 'brave' (if you could call it that) and outgoing around people I know, but, well, I like to know how people will _react _to that first. I don't know Caleb all that well, so, I guess you could say I'm back to my default setting.

The two were arguing, and I could tell that they weren't going to become instant friends. Heck, Ebony hated Caleb the second she laid eyes on him! Well, I guess she has a good reason; he just got us thrown backwards in time about a hundred years! But, being the optimist I am, I managed to see a bright side of all of this; at least it wouldn't be boring. It would be an adventure. Who knows? It might even be fun!

"So," said Caleb, interrupting me from my thoughts, "do either of you know first-aid?"

"I do," I said automatically. I'd taken several classes, so I knew how to treat almost anything, and I could do CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. I actually plan on going to medical school, so I can become a doctor.

"Great," said Caleb. "Are either of you good at assisting people? You know, like a secretary or something?"

"That'd be _moa_," said Ebony, sounding smug. Actually, she's really good at organizing things and helping out; you'd just never know from her sarcastic, rough'n'tough attitude.

"Really?" asked Caleb, looking surprised that I didn't step forward again.

"Really, dipshit," she snarled.

He sighed, "Well, I guess that settles it, then!"

**Ebony POV**

"So," said Caleb, after a long pause, "do either of you know first-aid?"

"I do," Ivory said. She's really good, actually. Once, I sprained my ankle, and she fixed it up so good, mom and dad couldn't even tell.

"Great," said Caleb. "Are either of you good at assisting people? You know like a secretary or something?"

"That'd be _moa_," I said smugly. Surprised? I can actually do that kind of shit, provided you don't mess with me.

"Really?" asked Caleb, looking surprised that Ivory didn't step forward again. Asshole.

"Really, dipshit," I snarled. I really wanted to rip his head off right now, the jackass. What, so I'm Goth, and I'm sassy, that means I can't be helpful? Tch, tard. I hope he rots in hell.

He sighed, "Well, I guess that settles it, then!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Settles _what?_"

"Your jobs. When you join the army," he said. I started laughing.

"Haha, ahahaha! That's rich! Seriously, what's your plan?"

"I was serious."

I stopped, and looked at him, long and hard. He was, in fact serious.

"Wait, what?" I asked, now more than ever ready to deck the f-ker.

"So, let me get this straight," Ivory said, "You're going to sign Ebony up as some sort of secretary and me up as a doctor? In the _army? _Isn't that, oh, I don't know, _dangerous? _And, don't you, like, need training for that?"

He sighed and shook his head, "First off, women aren't allowed to become doctors here. You'll be a nurse. Big difference. And you're," he said, turning to me, "going to be an errand-girl slash 'helping hand'. Second, yes, it is pretty dangerous. Thirdly, in this time period, the army is pretty much grasping at straws and taking what it can get. You'll, for the most part, get your training while you're there, in the form of a little thing called 'experience'."

"So, here, you don't need to go to college to get a decent job?"

"Not necessarily."

"And women can join the army, as long as it's not to fight?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you need to have a high school education?"

"Pfft, please, most people don't even have a _middle school _education here!"

"… Please don't make me leave." I had to admit, it sounded pretty good.

"You're willing to give up Twitter? Facebook? MySpace?"

"Ha, please! You make it sound like I used them in the first place!"

"YouTube? Fanfiction? DeviantArt?" That stopped me. I couldn't live without any of those.

"Shut up…" I grumbled.

**Ivory POV**

"You know what?" Caleb said. "I think this'll make you realize just how dependant on material possessions and technology you really are. This might actually be a good lesson, for both of you. And with that, I leave you this." He handed both of us a watch-looking thing.

"This'll allow us to keep in contact whenever necessary. Warning, don't use in public places; it might get taken away from you. Oh, and one other thing; don't submerge it in any kind of alcoholic drink, even partially; for some reason, it reacts violently to alcohol, but not other kinds of liquid. Weird, huh? Well, anyway, I'll teleport us inside now. I'm going in with you, to make sure you're okay, before I split. Oh, and don't be alarmed when you're wearing a poofy, old-fashioned dress; it'll help you blend in," He turned to Ebony. "Try not to cuss, okay?" And then, we teleported.

**Ebony POV**

'Try not to cuss?' Is he serious? I cuss like a sailor, and I don't care who knows it!

The teleportation was… weird. It's like, one second I was in the middle of a street. The next? I was in total and utter darkness, only able to my sister.

We were, in fact, in big, poofy, old-fashioned dresses. I was in peach, Ivory was in light pink. Yippee.

But, suddenly, rippling swirls of color appeared all around. The ripples and swirls slowly began to stop, leaving us in a crowded room filled with average-to-semi-attractive men and women with their hair tied up in tight, complicated knots, braids and buns that looked down-right _painful_. Not to mention the fact that they probably couldn't even _think _through all the make-up they were wearing. Tch, they looked like sluts, all of them.

Suddenly, all of the women in the room decided to simultaneously look _up_. What, did they have some sort of weird OCD where they all had to look up every ten minutes or something? That might have been semi-reasonable… if I hadn't noticed that they were all batting their eyelashes, and looked like their flirt-genes were about to kick into high-gear.

I turned around, and quickly saw the reason they all suddenly looked horny; a very cute guy was walking down the stairs. I could see why they were staring; he was _hot_. _Especially_ compared to the shmucks in this room.

He had thick, wavy brown hair, deep brown eyes, and he was wearing a blue uniform-type thing. Um, blue meant Union, right? I think so. But, just to be sure…

I elbowed my sister lightly, "Psst! Ivory! The guys in the blue suits are in the Union, right?" She nodded.

I heard one of the girls say, "That Robert is so _dashing_." Robert? Was that the guy's name? Huh… wait… Robert? As in… Robert _Shaw? !_

I elbowed Caleb, "Yo, dude," I hissed urgently, "is that-"

"Robert Shaw?" he whispered. "Yeah, that's him. His parents are throwing him a party for coming home safely."

_That's _Robert Shaw? The guy my teacher _obsessed _over? ! Wow… that picture in my history book didn't do him justice… whoever put it there probably didn't like him too much. He is a _lot _cuter in real life… wait a second, did I seriously just _think_ that? Ugh, all this teleporting and time-travel is f-king with my head.

In my minor space-out, I didn't notice that he'd reached the bottom of the stairs. He was now walking towards us. The ladies behind us were giggling madly. I didn't even want to _try _to imaginethe perverted things they were thinking that were making them giggle like that. It was kinda like the way preps giggle at jocks, ya know?

He looked at us, and I swear, the poor guy look like he'd rather be back out on the battlefield. Is he shy around girls? Or maybe it's the fact that _they're all staring at him_. Yep, that's probably it.

He looked at us and nodded, "Ladies." He didn't even seem to _acknowledge _Caleb. Ha, sucks to be you, loser!

I smiled at Robert, and not in the creepy, I-am-_so_-getting-horny-just-by-_looking_-at-you-right-now kind of way, like the other girls *coughcoughWHOREScoughcough* were. More like a friendly kind of way that _didn't _scream 'I want to rape you.' He smiled slightly back, seeming a little relieved that at least _one _girl in the room didn't look like she wanted to undress him. It faded quickly when he caught the gaze of the girl behind me, and he nearly _ran _in the other direction.

I looked behind me to see what kind of creeper look she was giving him. Dear lord, the girl looked like she was ready to club him over the head and rape him right there! Jeez, looks like there were whore-ish sluts back in the 1800s too. I can see why made a quick getaway. Run Robert, run!

I walked away, with Ivory following me. Caleb was with her. I quickly ditched the two and headed outside. I needed to be alone for a minute.

Just before I walked out the door, I randomly looked to my left. Robert was chatting with a black guy (they looked like pretty good friends), and some guy was fixing the shutters on a window a few feet away. They kind of slammed shut, and there was a loud bang. Robert jumped about a foot off the ground. Jeez, what's with him? Then I remembered; he was enlisted in the army, and that sudden, unexpected loud bang sounded kind of like a gunshot. He was entitled to be a little jumpy, and I wouldn't be surprised it he had some PTS (post-traumatic stress) going on.

I walked outside and stood by the waist-high iron-bar fence and stared into space for god-knows how long. That was until I heard someone walking behind me a few moments later. I looked back behind me, and saw that it was Robert.

"Hello," he greeted, sounding like he'd just swallowed sawdust. He looked pretty nervous, too.

"Hello," I replied, trying to sound pleasant and polite. I think it actually worked.

"Too crowded?" he asked, sounding slightly less like he was about to throw up.

I nodded, not sure how to reply without sounding stupid.

"I know how you feel," he said, nodding.

For a moment, we just stood there, and incredibly awkward silence hanging between us.

He seemed a little freaked out, and he was gripping the pointed tops of the fence tightly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, curious.

He looked down, as if just realizing that I was still there. Well, by this point, I'm kind of used to being ignored by everyone. Still, it stung a little.

He hesitated, before saying, "I've been offered the position of colonel in the 54th Massachusetts infantry."

Infantry? That was… where soldiers fought on foot, right? I think that's what it is. 54th Massachusetts? Flaaner mentioned something about that. It was… the first all black… something. What was the word? It had something to do with army units, that much I know. Squad? Platoon?... Regiment! That's it, it was a regiment!... What the hell is a regiment, anyway?

"It is to be the first colored regiment," he continued after a pause. There was that word again, regiment.

I nodded, and after a short mental debate, I decided to ask what the hell a regiment is anyway (not with that exact phrasing), no matter how stupid I look.

"Uh," I started unsurely. Very intelligent.

He looked back down at me. "Yes?"

"Well, what exactly _is _a regiment?" I expected him to laugh at me or call me an idiot, something I was _used _to. But instead, he just smiled knowingly.

"A regiment is a unit of one thousand soldiers." Huh? He wasn't laughing at me? WTF?... I mentally face-palmed. Of course! Back then, er, right now, women weren't, ah, _aren't_, expected to know any of this crap.

I whistled. "One thousand? Wow, that's a lot of soldiers."

He chuckled, "Yes, it is… And if I take the position of colonel, I'll be in charge of all of them…" Oh. Well, I can see why he's nervous. Being in charge of the training (and probably well-being) of a thousand guys? Yikes. I could never do something like that. But, I remembered, he does take the position in the end. So, I guess this is just his 'should I or shouldn't I?' moment. Of course, if all goes well, he'll pick the 'should I' option. If that made any sense at all.

Someone walked up behind us and leaned on the bars to Robert's right. It was a guy. His hair was greasy and looked dirty blonde, and his uniform jacket was open slightly, revealing a white shirt and a loosely tied bow-tie. He had… a bottle of booze in his hand.

"What's the matter Robert, too much punch?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred, as he slapped Robert on the back. Well, at least I know not to drink that punch; obviously, someone spiked it. He started laughing like… well… like he'd been snorting happy dust (maybe that's what the punch is spiked with? Did it even _exist_ back that…?). I know what that sounds like; my older brother, Chris, tried it once. Ivory flushed it and said that it was unhealthy… And that he'd end up like Charlie Sheen.

I noticed that Robert was smiling in a way that just screamed 'oh dear god he's drunk again, isn't he?'

The drunk guy looked at me and said, "Well hello there," he winked. "What's a lovely lady like you doing here?" Dear lord, a playa in the 19th century? I thought I'd _escaped _that shit when I got pulled backwards about 200 years. Apparently, not.

"Forbes," Robert said, looking at the guy, "this is… I'm sorry miss, what's your name?"

"Ebony," I said. "Ebony Brooke."

"I'm Cabot Forbes. But just call me Forbes." Forbes (obviously) said. "And this," he smacked Robert on the back again, "is Robert Shaw." Pfft, I kind of already knew that, dipshit.

After a moment of hesitation, I said, "It's a pleasure." That phrase is apparently 'good' in this time period, but if said back home, I'd get catcalls.

The Forbes took my hand and kissed it. Ew.

"The pleasure is all mine." Gross. Yeah, he's a playa, alright.

**Ivory POV**

I couldn't find Ebony anywhere! Where the heck did she go? Outside, maybe…? Yeah, probably outside. She never did like crowded rooms all that much. And these darned corset things make it hard to breathe.

In case you couldn't already tell, I don't curse. _Ever_. It kind of peeves me that Ebony does, but, eh. It's her life. If she wants to spew profanities, that's he business.

I saw some cute guy walk out the door a few minutes ago… he left it open… so, I guess that means it's okay to go out?

I walked outside, but I didn't close the door. I didn't want to risk accidentally locking us out or something.

There, I saw Ebony, the cute guy, and Robert Shaw chatting casually… wait… Robert Shaw? When did he get out here?

Shrugging, I walked up to them and said, "There you are Ebony! I've been looking everywhere for you!" They all turned around.

"Well hello, miss. And who might you be?" asked Robert.

"I'm Ivory, Ebony's sister."

He raised an eyebrow, "You're sisters?"

"Yes," I said, "twins."

The cutie laughed, "Hey Rob, I guess that means one for me and one for you!" Robert didn't even try to hide it when he stomped on the guy's foot. Ebony rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Forbes," Robert mumbled.

The guy, Forbes, looked at me and said, "Well, I'm Cabot Forbes, just call me Forbes."

"And I'm Robert Shaw," said Robert.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said, trying my best to sound polite and 19th century-ish.

Forbes lightly gripped my hand and said, "The pleasure is all mine." And then, he kissed my hand.

Now, by this point, I'd kind of realized that he's a 'player.' But really, I don't care.

Then, he looked into my eyes, and said, "Would you like to dance?"

I simply smiled and said, "I'd love to." because the other reaction I had in mind would probably scare him a little.

Did I mention that I took a class in how to waltz? No? Well, I did. My mom made me when I was eight. So, I didn't step on Forbes' feet. Thank you, mom.

It was fun, and afterwards, he commented that I was a very good dancer. We talked. I found out that he's in the army (though I could pretty much tell from the uniform). Though he _is _a 'player', he seemed pretty funny, and loveable. He laughs a lot… oh, you've got to be _kidding _me! Here I am, talking (flirting?) with some cute 19th century guy, not even fifteen minutes after Caleb told us _not _to get attached to anyone! Jeez, I'm a really horrible person, aren't I?

But, just then, Robert walked up to Forbes with some older woman next to him and said that there were some things they needed to discuss. I think the older woman was Robert's mom. She looked old enough, and they looked alike. Heck, if she looked younger, I might have guessed siblings.

Forbes walked off with them, and out of nowhere, Caleb tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped.

"Caleb! Jeez, don't do that! You scared me half to death!" I gasped.

"Sorry," he said, "but I need you and Ebony to follow me."

I then noticed that Ebony was standing right next to me. Jeez, I swear, that girl's a freaking ninja!

"C'mon, let's go," Caleb said, leading us in the direction that Robert, that woman (his mom?), and Forbes had gone. Why did I get the feeling that things were about to get complicated?

**Caleb POV**

I noticed that Ebony looked fairly… peeved. I swear, that girl'll smother me in my sleep if I'm not careful! I guess I can understand with the whole bringing them back in time without permission thing, but she hated me the second she saw me! Maybe it's that thing girls are supposed to have, a 6th sense. Well, whatever.

I was leading them to that meeting room thing where Robert, his mom, and Forbes went. They were supposed to be discussing the details of the 54th's forming. Robert's mom and dad were going to be bugging him about how he needs assistance, and the governor was going to say that they also needed a doctor or nurse to make sure that the men got the medical care they needed. Fredrick Douglass would agree, and then I'd pop up and say that Ebony and Ivory were just the girls for the job, er, jobs. Dear lord, I hope this goes well.

**Ebony POV**

I'd been having a nice chat with Robert (he'd confided in me that he was going to take the position as colonel of the 54th), when some old hag came out.

"Robert, darling? There are some things that need to be spoken about, regarding the infantry."

He nodded, and before leaving, he politely introduced me and the old woman. Apparently, she's his mom. Well, it explains the resemblance.

They walked back inside, leaving me by myself. I just shrugged and walked back inside after them. Nothing else to do. Maybe I'll try to hunt down Ivory.

After I walked back in, I notice several of the creepy, stalker-ish women that'd been gawking at Robert earlier were glaring at me. What, are these bitches seriously jealous? All I did was _talk _to him. It's not like we kissed or anything. Obsessive cunts.

Finally, after wading through the crowd of men women whose minds were _obviously _in the proverbial gutter when it came to Robert and average-to-semi-attractive guys, I spotted Ivory. Forbes was walking away with Robert and his mom. Caleb was standing behind Ivory. I walked up to them and didn't bother to tell them I was there; they'd figure it out sooner or later.

Caleb tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump.

"Caleb! Jeez, don't do that! You scared me half to death!" she gasped.

"Sorry," he said, "but I need you and Ebony to follow me." Huh. So the brat noticed me. Well, who gives a damn?... Okay, fine, I do. Mostly because I pride myself on my ninja-like stealth. Ivory just then seemed to notice me.

"C'mon, let's go," Caleb said, and I was tempted to kick him in the balls. Who the hell is he to tell us what to do? I mean, come on, he drags us back to the 1800s without permission, puts us in these girly-ass dresses (and, personally, the corset was suffocating me; by this point I could hardly breathe), and expects us to join the colonial army just so that we can fix some shit-ass mistake that some bozos made? Bullshit.

I swear, the person who invented corsets should be killed. I _would _have argued with Caleb's one-sided decision that we needed to follow Robert, his mom, and Forbes, but I _couldn't_; the damned corset was starving me of too much air to for me to argue. Maybe that's what it's for; making sure that women can't breathe enough to make their own decisions so that they submit to men. In this shity time period? It makes sense, considering the fact that, here, _women have no rights_.

We came to some sort of room. I'm not sure what it's _supposed _to be used for, but right now, it was being used as some sort of meeting room… thing. They were discussing the details of the 54th Massachusetts. It was pretty boring to me. Until they came to the part about needing a doctor or nurse (something the black dude with the white beard mentioned… I think they said his name is Fredrick Douglas) and an 'aide', AKA assistant (Rob's mom mentioned that one). Robert seemed pretty irritated about the assistant thing.

"Mother," Robert sighed, "I don't need an aide. I'll be fine."

"Oh, darling, don't be ridiculous," she said. "There are many things that need to be done that you simply won't have time for." This was said in that typical 'I'm always right' tone that all moms seem to acquire at some point.

"For example, the constant letters you send home to me and your mother," some guy who I guessed was Robert's dad said, stepping forward. "Can you honestly say you'll have the extra time to take them to the postmaster? I'd think not," he continued.

Robert let out a soft sigh of defeat. "Alright, I'll find an assistant."

His mom smiled, "Good."

The guy I guessed was his dad started talking again, "Now, there's the issue of finding a proper doctor, or nurse. I believe that someone with a good level of experience would be best."

Before anything more could be said, Caleb stepped forward. Me and Ivory were still outside the doorway, not noticed.

**Caleb POV**

"Pardon me, please excuse my eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but overhear that you're looking for a doctor or nurse and an assistant. As it happens, I know two people who would be perfect for it."

"Really?" asked Robert's mother. "And who might they be?"

"These two," I said, grabbing Ebony and Ivory and pulling them into the room. _Please_, I thought, _don't let Ebony try to kill me for this_.

"Those two girls?" asked Robert's father, seeming surprised.

I nodded, "Yes. Ivory here," I pulled Ivory slightly forward, "can treat wounds better than anyone I've ever met, and Ebony," I pulled her forward, "would make a wonderful assistant. She's very organized, and such." I noticed Ebony glaring at me. Please, please, _please _don't let her say anything. I was pretty much saying my prayers at this point.

**Robert POV**

Robert noticed, when the boy mentioned Ebony, she glared. He could clearly see that she hadn't agreed to this at all, and most likely didn't want to be there. Ivory… she looked nervous, and was blushing fiercely. Obviously, very modest.

He was more surprised, however, at the fact that the boy was introducing the two young women he and Forbes had met earlier as the perfect candidates to fill the respective roles of doctor/nurse and camp aide. Especially that Ebony was to fill the 'aide' roll. Not that he was complaining. After all, she seemed like a lovely young woman.

But, he _was _worried about what would become of her at an army camp, much a less a battlefield. She seemed strong… but exactly how strong was she? He feared that she would become easily overwhelmed or find that she couldn't handle the gore.

As if reading his mind, his mother voiced his thoughts, "Those two? Why, they are girls, barely older than children. What would become of them? And surely they don't have much experience in these matters."

"Ma'am," said the boy, whom none of them knew the name of, "I assure you, these girls are tough. They can handle it, right ladies?"

Ivory nodded, and Ebony said, "Me and Ivory, we're tough. We can handle anything you throw at us."

"See?" said the nameless boy.

"And who, might I ask, are you?" asked Robert's father.

"My name," he said, "is Caleb."

"Well," said Forbes, "you seem to be, volunteering these girls without permission. Are you sure they want to?" A very good question indeed. Robert had noticed that Ebony seemed a bit… unwilling. Was this boy, Caleb, honestly volunteering these girls to be part of something that very well could kill them, when they, in fact, didn't want to?

**Ebony POV**

"Ma'am," said Caleb, "I assure you, these girls are tough. They can handle it, right ladies?"

Ivory nodded, and I, knowing I wouldn't get out of this, said, "Me and Ivory, we're tough. We can handle anything you throw at us."

"See?" said Caleb in a matter-of-fact tone. Tch, snob.

"And who, might I ask, are you?" asked the guy I think is Robert's dad.

"My name," he said, "is Caleb."

"Well," said Forbes, "you seem to be, volunteering these girls without permission. Are you sure they want to?"

Thank you, Forbes. Now, _we'd _finally have a say in this. But, oddly enough, I didn't really _feel _like refusing. Not that I really can; this is my one ticket out of here. Change the past, go home. They went hand in hand. Unless I want to die here, I have to go.

But, still, it seems like… an adventure. Something to break the dull haze that is my normal, everyday routine. I'd begun to think that maybe, _just _maybe, this would be fun. Plus, what am I really missing out on, anyway? Getting yelled at by my teachers and parents? Doing chores? Replaying videogames I'd already beaten at least 30 times? Please. I decided that I could use something to break the pattern.

I glanced at Ivory. She nodded; we were thinking the same thing. What harm could come it do? I doubted that Caleb, despite his douchbaggy-ness, would let us _die _out there. If we got shot or stabbed, he'd bring us back home, fix us up, and maybe we could try again. It'd be an adventure; something to do and have fun with. Maybe play a few pranks and stir up some trouble while we're at it. I grinned. Suddenly, this seemed very promising. Like a real-life videogame.

At the same time, me and Ivory said, "We want to."

Robert looked surprised, Forbes raised an eyebrow, Caleb nearly passed out from relief, and everyone else seemed mildly pleased. It was settled. We were joining the army. Whoo-hoo! And this time, I'm not being sarcastic.

**Like it? Hate it? Have some praise or constructive criticism to give out? Want to make a suggestion? Review! I accept anonymous reviews! Also, sorry if it's a little sucky, I'm writing this at, like, 3:00 am. *yawn* See ya laterz! Bye~! I'm going to bed nao :P**


	3. Speeches, Fights, and Meetings

**Sorry it took so long! And thank you to Spanish Sunrise, Samantha S, and Lovemusic2 for reviewing! I can't believe you guys actually like this crap XD I'd reply to your reviews individually, but my computer doesn't have internet; I have to use my grandma's computer to post this. Or my mom's. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**Speeches, Fights, and Meetings**

**Ebony POV**

We talked about things and details for awhile, until we were all (finally) dismissed from the meeting type thing. A few minutes before the party ended. It was getting dark. _Per_fect.

The Shaw's offered to let us stay with them for the night, but Caleb politely declined for us. Bastard. He said that we were already staying somewhere else, and that we had to 'be on our way.' Be on our way? Since when are we in a rush?

Caleb the Asshat (his new official title) walked us to a little inn/hotel/motel thing that was about six blocks away, and, after giving us each a backpack full of supplies, abandoned us there.

We helped each other out of the stupid f-king corsets, and slept in the thin as air nightgown things that Sir Asshat so nicely left us. I was already wondering if we'd be able to get back early if we faked illness or injury.

When we woke up the next morning (6:00 in the f-king morning), neither of us knew where we were for a minute there. It took us a few minutes to remember the previous day's events. Well, that sure as hell wasn't a dream. F-k.

We noticed that there were clothes laid out for us. For each of us, there was a shirt and pants. Halleluiah, we didn't have to wear dresses. Or corsets.

We got dressed, saw that there'd been a note with our things. It said:

_Dear Girls,_

_When you wake up, go back to Robert's house. Him and Forbes are going to be leaving by 6:15, so make sure to get up early. They should be out and ready by 6, so try to get there by at least 6:10. Good luck!_

_From,_

_Caleb_

I looked at the watch thing I had. Not only was it a communicator, but it was also a GPS, a compass, a clock, a stop-watch, a thermometer, and one of those meter-thingies that tells you the air pressure. On top of that, it could predict the weather. I loved this thing. I didn't love my life, though, when I saw the time; 6:10. The time we should _already be there _by. F-K! We are _so _f-king late!

Me and Ivory made a mad dash for Robert's mansion. Well, as much of a 'mad dash' as you can make while running on this uneven as hell road.

We got there in 4 minutes flat. Hellz yeah! We got up late, and we _still _got there with one minute to spare. F-k yes!

"We're," I gasped, "here."

"What the devil happened to you two?" exclaimed Forbes.

"We, we woke up late," Ivory managed. They looked confused.

"What do you mean, late?" asked Robert. "It won't be time to leave for another fifteen or so minutes." I stared at him.

"But," I said, regaining my breath, "Caleb told us that it would be time to go at about six fifteen."

Forbes raised an eyebrow. "Caleb told you that?"

"Well, more like he left a note for us and vanished without a trace," I explained.

"I told him to tell you girls that we're leaving at six-thirty." Forbes said, sighing and shaking his head. My eye twitched. Caleb, that little shit! He told us to get down here a whole fifteen minutes early! Grrr, I am going to f-king _kill _him next time I see him, that spineless little prick!

The rage must have been visible on my face (I've never been very good at hiding my emotions), because Robert asked me if I was alright.

"Yeah," I said through gritted teeth, "but next time I see him, Caleb won't be." That seemed to genuinely surprise them. Aw, what? Not used to girls being violent? Well, get used to it, dickheads. Cause' I'm coming with you, and I'm not changing _shit _about myself, and let me tell you, I'm a f-king _violent _girl. I also swear a lot. Seriously, a sailor would wash my mouth out with soap. Though, I think you pretty much figured that out by now.

"What, exactly, do you plan on doing to him?" asked Forbes, seeming a little amused, as well as curious.

"Well," I said, "I'm going to grab Caleb's head, take a big rock, and-" Ivory stopped me.

"Okay, I don't think anyone wants to know what you plan on doing with Caleb's head and a big rock, Ebony." I rolled my eyes. Honestly, Ivory can be such a party-pooper sometimes. Really, I wanted to give Rob and Forbes a vivid description of what I planned on doing to Caleb's big head with that big rock. And maybe a few other things.

"… I think I pretty much already figured it out," said Forbes, looking a little creeped out. Same with Robert.

"Why," asked Robert, "would you want to kill Caleb with a large rock?" Huh. So he figured it out.

"Because he's a prick and I don't trust him," I deadpanned. That seemed to get to them even more.

"… What?" I asked, playing innocent, even though I know that my little 'cuss word' was what got to them.

"Did you just swear?" asked Forbes.

"Yeah, so? What's your point?"

"It's very improper for women to swear," said Robert, reprimanding me. I snorted and opened my mouth to make a smart-assed retort, but before any more could be said, Ivory jumped in.

"H-hey, maybe we should change the subject before things really get out of hand."

"Whatever," I mumbled, not really caring enough to argue. I just wanted to go back to bed and wake up at home, in my bed with the red comforter that had a picture of a black widow spider on it. I wanted to hear the songs _Blue_ by Birthday Massacre and _Baby Doll Gone Wrong_ by Skye Sweetnam blasting through my computer speakers. I wanted to watch the Friday the 13th movies until my eyes bled and eat junk food till' I barfed. Suddenly, my previous decision that this would be 'fun' didn't seem as true as the one that this is going to f-king _suck_.

"Well," Forbes said, breaking the awkward silence/tension, "at least he gave you the right clothes to wear. We told him that it'd probably be best if you didn't wear dresses." Hallelujah! We get to wear pants! "Eventually, you'll have to be on a battlefield, and it probably would be more comfortable running around in britches than in skirts. I hope you don't mind dressing like men," he chuckled. Dressing like men? What the f-k is he- oh right, back then, er, now, women aren't supposed to wear pants. Again, pardon my French. You know what? Just pretend that I'm saying that phrase after almost every sentence from now on, cause' I'm not gonna keep repeating it, but I am gonna keep cussing. Why? It's just who I am.

Then, some random black guy showed up… wait… he looked familiar. Maybe… did I see him at that party? But when…? Finally, it clicked; he was the black dude Rob had been chatting with when that random guy slammed the shutters on the window. This is going to be a regiment with all black enlistees, so I'm guessing he volunteered or something?

"Good morning, Thomas," said Forbes, to the black dude. He was smiling.

"Good morning Forbes," he replied, then he looked at Robert. "Hello, Robert."

Robert nodded, smiling. "Thomas," he acknowledged.

Then the guy (Thomas, apparently) noticed us.

"And who are these lovely young ladies?" he asked, seeming curious.

"This," Forbes said, placing a hand on Ivory's shoulder, "is Ivory. She's to be the camp's nurse. And this," he gestured to me, "is her sister, Ebony. She's Robert's camp aide." At that last part, he smirked. Tch. Pervy playa.

The guy introduced himself to us as Thomas Searles.

After that, things were uneventful. We started moving (to where, I don't know), and I tapped into my uncanny habit of tuning everything out into white-noise. In my head, I listened to the song _Blue _by Birthday Massacre (my second favorite band):

_Plastic, blue…_

_inv~i~ta~tions…_

_In, my, room~_

_I~I've been, waiting…_

_here, fo-or you~_

_Res~er~va~tions…_

_made, fo-or, two~_

_Sun~light, fa~ding…_

_Black, tongues, speak, fast than the car can, CRASH_

_You supply the rumors, and I'll provided the WRATH_

_Ro-mance, is, breaking every heart, in, TWO_

_Casting shadows in the pale shade of BLUE_

_Plastic, blue…_

_con~ver~sa~tions…_

_in, my, room~_

_Sa~ving, e~very…_

_tear, fo-or you~_

_Trusting, e~very…_

_word untrue~_

_Twi~light, fa~ding…_

_Fate, changes, faster than the death, of, LIGHT_

_You provide the ENVY, and I'll provide the SPITE_

_Re-flec-tions, cutting every face, in, TWO_

_Casting shadows in the pale shade of BLUE_

When the mental song ended, I looked around. I jumped; we were surrounded by a crowd of black guys, and they were gathering in front of a stage-type thing. Ivory looked unsure on whether to join them or go up on the stage with the officers. I, honestly, wasn't sure either. Until Forbes demounted his horse and gestured for us to follow him. Well, that solves that issue.

We walked up on the stage and stood by Forbes and some other guy. Robert was still on his horse, and was riding through the crowd. Some drummer boys were playing, well, their drums, and someone was playing a flute or something.

Finally, Rob rode up in front of the stage, but didn't get off the horse. "Morning," he said to Forbes and the guy. Forbes nodded. Jeez, didn't we already say our hellos a while ago?

Robert looked at the crowd, and started talking.

**Robert POV**

Robert was nervous, to say the least. Mostly afraid of making a fool of himself in front of all of these people. Sounding a little unsure, he began his speech.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Okay, good start… "I am Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. I am your commanding officer." As if they didn't know that already. Things were already going downhill. Maybe he _should _have written a speech. It was foolish of him to think that the words would just come to him when he got up there... "It is a pleasure to see you all here today." Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad… "It is my hope, that the same courage, spirit, and honor, which has brought us together, may one day restore this Union." He paused, once again. He saw some people smiling. Now, to finish… "May God bless us all!" A cheer erupted from the crowd. He allowed himself a small smile. At least it hadn't ended in disaster.

"Form companies?" reminded a man behind him. He turned around for a brief moment, and by the time he'd turned back the smile was gone.

"We will commence with forming companies!" Forbes took it from there.

"You men, will report to your respective officers, by letter of the company, in alphabetical order, which is in the top, left-hand corner, of your muster sheet." He wasn't at all very loud, and had a cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth. Robert doubted that many of the men had heard, but several were scrambling to look at their muster sheets, trying to figure out which company to report to. A feeling of dread came over him, and he suspected that things would only be downhill from there.

**Ebony POV**

I watched Rob make that speech, and honestly? He could've done better. After announcing who he was and that he was their commanding officer, I seriously wanted to face-palm. Did he _honestly _think that they didn't know that? Jeez, what a noob.

After Robert finished, Forbes took over, and he honestly wasn't much better. Robert might not have been very prepared… at _all_… but at least he made sure that the men could _hear _him.

I saw my sister eyeing Forbes. It took me a moment to realize why; he was smoking a cigar. Which is pretty unhealthy. And my sister seriously can't stand watching people suck on those things. She calls them 'cancer sticks'. I can't really disagree, but back- now (ha, I caught myself that time!) people didn't- don't know the dangers of smoking and stuff.

After about ten hectic minutes of the troops scrambling to get to their companies, we set off for some place called Readville Camp. I'm guessing that that's where we're staying.

As we walked through some place that looked like a town, we were walking passed some white soldiers, they started making fun of the black guys. Tch, racist pricks. I mean, yeah, I make the occasional racial stereotype joke (mostly Asian ones, but I can get diverse), but it's not like I _mean _it. Actually, I'm usually just making fun of the jokes. But pretty much _everyone _back then, er, right now (jeez, I really need to get that right, before I mess up out loud) is a racist. So f-k them.

"Hey, I'd rather have a hog than a niger. At least ya can eat the hog!" one of them called out. He and his friends laughed. I made a mental note to shove a big rock up his ass later, after beating Caleb to death with it.

"It's getting dark mighty early round' here!" went another. More laughter. I seriously wanted to punch some of them. Or flip them off. Well, I kinda did the last part. I just raised my fist up and shot em' the bird. I don't think they really noticed that so much as they noticed my gender… and Ivory's gender. She was walking along right next to me.

"Well, well, well, and what do we have here?" one of them said looking straight at us. "Aw, hey look, everyone! They got two little girls along with them!" Little girls? Yeah, he's going to die. "And they've got em' in britches, too! Haha! What, you little girls don't know yer own gender? Bwahahahahahahaha!" Accusing us of _cross-dressing? _That's it. That is the _last f-king straw!_

I started to walk over there to punch him, but Ivory stopped me.

"No," she whispered, "Ebony, don't. It's a bad idea. Just let it go."

So, I stopped. And instead of punching him, I took a nice sized rock (not as big as I wanted it to be, but still big) and chucked it at his head. The rock hit it's mark. Right between the eyes. Booyah, bitch.

"Ah!" he cried out. Pfft, pussy. "That little bitch just hit me with a rock!" He pointed at me. The little snitch. He's in the army, yet he can't learn to take it like a man? Pfft, he's not gonna last long. Plus, I thought that guys _weren't _supposed to cuss around women… not that it's anything I haven't heard or been called before. But still.

None of his friends saw me chuck the rock (I'm not sure if the black guys did, though. But I doubt that they'd turn me in). So it was basically my word against his. Oh yeah, I like these odds.

"What's going on over here?" I heard a familiar voice say sharply. I saw Robert and Forbes coming towards us on horseback. Everyone else had stopped what they were doing, to stare at us.

"That dark-haired brat just hit me with a rock!" He yelled. Robert look sharply at me. I decided not to be dramatic about it. Instead, I played dumb (something my teachers, parents, and classmates would vouch that I have infinite experience at). Also, I tried to throw in a little 19th century language. In my time, it would make me look like I was being sassy, but here, I would look even more innocent.

"Pardon? Are you talking about me?" I asked, looking around as if to see who else he might be talking about. I was trying to look and sound confuzzled. Since I have tons of experience with acting (years of lying to teachers and parents), I'm pretty sure it worked.

"Yes, you!" yelled the guy I hit.

"But… I don't know what you're talking about." Quick tip; the phrase 'but I didn't do anything' just makes you look more guilty. You look like you're trying to deny something. Instead, state that you either 'don't even know what happened' (not a good idea in this scenario, since he just _said _what happened) or 'don't know what's going on'. Going on automatic defense makes you look just as guilty as you are. It's always better to feign innocence and/or confusion (but mostly 'and').

"That's bullshit and we both know it!"

It was up to Robert to make a decision. He looked back and forth between me and the guy. I tried my best to look like I was confused. It worked… sort of.

He gestured for the men to continue on their merry way, but he openly stated that he'd 'speak with me about this later', clearly conveying the message that he didn't want to start anything here, but I'd have my moment of reckoning later. The guy looked pretty please with himself.

Also, Forbes took us to the other side of the marching men, probably so that the guy wouldn't try to kill me, and so I wouldn't feel the need chuck another rock. He smirked at me before leaving. In other word, he knew what I did, but wasn't telling because he thought the dickwad deserved it too. Life is sweet.

I just hope that I can weasel my way out of trouble when the time comes. I immediately began coming up with mental lies; "But sir, I was just talking to Ivory when he started yelling at me for no reason." I immediately scratched out the 'for no reason' part. It made me sound a little bit more guilty, and it gave Rob the 'well, there obviously had to be a reason' comeback, and after that, I would seem even more guilty.

"Ay," someone said, simultaneously poking me in the arm, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up. Some guy in a top-hat was talking to me. A black guy, of course.

"Nice shot, fo a white girl," he said, and grinned at me.

"Thanks, I think," I said, grinning back. "So, what's your name?" I asked.

"Khal," he said. "You?"

"Ebony. And this is Ivory," I added, introducing my sister.

"Well, nice to meet cha. S' good, meet'n some white girls who ain't racist." He said this with a thick southern accent.

"Racism is stupid," I said bluntly. "It just shows that some people are so weak that they need to tear other people down to make them feel better about themselves, which is pretty pathetic, if you stop and think about it."

"I think," said Khal, "that cho' got the rite idea."

"Thanks," I said. I can see myself being friends with this guy. Maybe this place isn't so bad after all.

"So, what you lovely young ladies doin' here?" he asked.

"I'm supposed to be the Colonel's camp aid," I said.

"And I'm the camp nurse," Ivory said.

"You the doctor here?" he asked. Ivory nodded.

"Well, befo, I wa worried bout' gettin' hurt. Now, I'm almos lookin' fowad to it," he said, winking at Ivory. She blushed big time. I whispered to her, "Don't look now sis, but I think he's flirting with you." She blushed even more.

After that, me and Ivory slowed down a little to kind of let the crowd pass by. Eventually, I saw someone familiar through the crowd. It was that guy, Thomas. I grabbed Ivory's arm and maneuvered thought the crowd to him and the guy he was talking to. By this point, we were at the camp.

"Hello," I said.

"Ah, hello Ebony," Thomas said. He turned to the guy he'd been talking to. "Jupiter, this is Ebony, and her sister Ivory." Jupiter? Pfft, what kind of name is that?

"N-nice to m-meet you," Jupiter stuttered out. He seems like a nice guy, despite the stupid name.

Ivory smiled at him, "It's nice to meet you too." Over the next few minutes, they got to know each other. I just watched the scenery as we walked by.

As we continued along, I noticed that the black guys were actually a lot more welcoming. You know, I think I might start to like this. I mean, there're people here who actually _like _me and don't look at me like I'm the crud on the bottom of their shoes. Plus, Ivory seems to like it, even though she _does _look a little nervous being one of the only two girls within miles. Still, this seems pretty cool, so far.

Eventually, everyone got settled into their tents. A white guy (one of the officers) introduced himself as Charlie Morse, and showed Ivory to the medical tent. I tagged along. Mostly because I wanted to avoid Robert for as long as humanely possible, before my 'moment of reckoning' came.

Then, when I saw Robert walking down the path towards us, I took off like a jackrabbit does when it sees a hungry coyote… okay, so maybe I didn't. In fact, I didn't even know he was _coming_ until…

"Miss Brooke, a word, please?" I heard Rob's voice behind me. I spun around and, low and behold, there he was. Well, at least I'm prepared for this.

He led me back to his office/room thing and interrogated me there.

"Miss Brooke… be honest with me, did you throw that rock at Lieutenant Fisher?" Mentally, I giggled-snorted. _Fisher_? As in, Fisher _Price_? The baby toy company? Oh, nice. Karma is _sweet_.

But, I kept a straight face and said, "No, sir. I don't know why he would think that." He stared at me, as if willing me to tell the truth, or give him a sign that I'm lying. You know, like not meeting his stare, acting nervous, that kind of thing. But, instead of looking away, I stared right back at him. Right into those gorgeous brown eyes… seriously, am I _really _thinking this, or is this just a side-effect of Caleb's stupid time-travel thing? You know, making me horny for the first cute guy I see?

I continued to stare at him, and finally, he broke the staring contest by looking me up and down (is he checking me out? … Okay, seriously, what's up with the horny, teenage hormone-ridden, perverted thoughts? !) and finally said, "Dismissed." So, I walked away. No goodbye or anything. I just walked out the door and went to find Ivory.

I found her chatting with Forbes and Charlie.

"Hey," I called, walking over.

"Hello, Ebony," said Forbes. "How did the little 'chat' with Robert go?"

I shrugged, "Fine. He asked if I threw the rock, I said no, he believed me. Then he dismissed me, so I walked away."

"You mean you saluted and walked away?" asked Charlie.

I was confuzzled. "No, why?... Am I supposed to do that?"

Forbes started laughing. "Yes, you're supposed to do that!" Ivory was grinning.

Charlie cracked a smile, "When a superior dismisses you, you're supposed to salute before you leave."

"… Oh. Well, it would've been nice to know that a few minutes ago." Charlie's smiled broke out into a large grin, and Forbes started laughing even harder. Ivory was now laughing right along with him. Damn, looks like I'm a helluva comedian when I wanna be. Or when I make mistakes. But, unlike in class, when I _knew _the other kids were laughing _at _me, somehow, even though I was barely smiling, I knew that these guys were actually laughing _with _me. I have to admit, it's pretty nice. Maybe I _can _get used to things here.

My small smile turned into a Cheshire-sized grin. Things are starting to look up.

**Yay! Chapter 3 complete :) I added in another OC, Khal. As if you didn't notice XD Trust me, he's going to play a big part… later. Much, **_**much **_**later. Like, say, around the 15****th**** or 16****th**** chapter. If I make it that far. Ha, more of Rob's POV in this. Trust me, it might be a few chapters before anyone else besides Ebony gets their POV in this. Or I might just start spamming someone else's POV. Depends on what I'm in the mood for. Review pwease!**


	4. Worry

**Whoo, double update! I have to warn you, this chapter will have **_**nothing **_**to do with the plot. In fact, by the end of the story, this'll all be made irrelevant. But, whatever. I'm gonna write it anyway :3 Enjoy!**

**Worry**

**Christopher POV**

They'd officially been missing for a day. A whole. F-king. Day. Goddamn, they're my sisters! Where the hell are they? ! I swear, when I find the guy who took them, he'd going to wish he'd never been born. In fact, he'd going to wish that his _grandparents _were never born!

Sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Chris Brooke. Ebony and Ivory are my younger sisters. _They've been missing for over 24 hours._ When they didn't show up by 6:00, mom and dad called the cops. They searched the town, and found nothing. They're nowhere in town. The police combed the woods, and found Ivory's charm bracelet lying on the ground. She'd never leave that behind, not if she had a choice. Dear god, where are they? I just want to see my baby sister- _sisters_, safe on the couch, arguing over who gets to watch whose favorite show.

Mom has officially been crying for 5 hours straight. Dad is screaming, calling the unidentified kidnapper every name under the sun and moon, and a few names _I've _never even heard of.

For f-k's sake, where are they?

I tried to reassure myself that it could be worse. They could be in a worse situation. A dinosaur could be chasing them. They could be underwater, caught between a Giant Squid and a Great White Shark. A time traveler from the distant future could have taken them back to the Civil War era. Being kidnapped isn't the worst thing that could have happened to them. I tried to keep thinking that, but something tells me that there's much more going on here. Something that none of us will ever understand. I don't care. I just want my baby sisters back.

**Wow, intense, huh? If you were paying close attention in chapter 2, you would already know that Christopher, or Chris, is the older sibling of Ebony and Ivory. 'A time traveler from the distant future could have taken them back to the Civil War era.' He has no idea how right he is. Review, please! Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this short but sweet chapter!**


	5. Rooftops

**Whoo! Chapter 5! Thanks to everyone who's supporting me on this! You guys rock! Virtual cake and ice-cream for everyone~! Sorry it took so long to update! So, yeah. I'm a little late saying this, but… SCHOOL IS **_**OUT**_**! Whoo!... Okay, fine, I kind of miss it. Mostly because a) we almost **_**never **_**had homework (seriously, they let us do it in class), and b) I'll never be returning there again. I just graduated middle school. Which sucks, for several reasons. One, a few of my friends are going to a different high school than me. Two, some of my friends were in 7****th**** grade. And one of them is **_**still **_**going to a different high school. Basically, there're three middle schools and two high schools. Let's just say, that if you go to middle school A, you automatically go to high school A. Same with middle/high school B. But, if you (like me) go to middle school **_**C**_**, you could end up going to either high school, depending on which is closer. But, enough about me (mostly because I doubt you care). I'm sure you just want me to cut to the chase and get to the story already. So, I will. Please enjoy more of the zany adventures of Ebony and Ivory!**

**Rooftops**

**Ivory POV**

Have you ever, like, slept over at a friend's house, and when you woke up, you saw that they'd played some kind of prank on you? Well, this morning, that's what happened to me and Ebony. And it was _so _not funny.

I just went to sleep, right next to Ebony, who was on her bunk (we got to sleep with the officers… I probably could've phrased that a little better, couldn't I? The officers slept in something called the barracks, and we got to sleep there, too. No one slept with anyone else). And when I woke up? I was on the Mess Hall roof. At least, that's what that nice guy, Charlie, told me it was. The building name part, not the roof. I'm not so much of a ditz that I don't know what a _roof _is.

Anyway, back to our little predicament. Yes, I said _our_. Ebony was up there too. Which, to be honest, worried me. Mostly because Ebony's been terrified of heights since she was four and tried to climb the big oak tree in our backyard. She was trying to catch a squirrel… and she fell about 20 feet to the ground. It was painful. Mostly because _I'm _what she landed on. She broke an arm, two noses and a leg. In other words, my leg, her arm, and _both _of our noses. Not a pleasant experience.

What I woke up to was the sound of someone calling my name. And Ebony's. I could only think one… no, _two _things; _Oh no, we're stuck on the roof_, and _, Oh no, we're in _big _trouble, aren't we?_

I peeked over the edged of the roof, and saw Robert, Charlie, and Forbes. They were calling our names, trying to find us. Well, Charlie and Forbes were. Robert was threatening to punish us if we didn't show ourselves soon. I decided to 'make my presence known.' In other words, beg for them to help us get down.

"Um, hello?" I called down to them. They all turned around.

"Ivory?" asked Charlie. "Where are you?" They all looked confused as to where my voice was coming from.

"A-ah, I'm up here!" I called down. They all looked up, and their jaws _dropped_. Any further down and they'd be touching dirt.

"What on earth are you doing up there?" demanded Robert.

"Um, well, I'm not really sure _how _I got up here," I admitted.

"What do you mean, you don't know how you got up there?" asked Charlie.

"Well, I just kind of, _woke up_, uphere. I don't know how we got here-"

"Wait, 'we'? Are you saying that Ebony's up there too?" asked Forbes.

"Yea- I mean, yes. She's… asleep."

"Well, then, wake her up and get down," said Robert. He looked _really _impatient.

"Well, sir, there're a few problems with that."

"And those problems would be?"

"Erm, well, first, Ebony's really afraid of heights. Second, I don't know how to get down."

Robert sighed, "Just wake her up and… and we'll figure out something."

"Alright," I said wearily. I can already tell that this isn't going to end well.

"Ebony," I said quietly, shaking her. "Ebony, wake up."

"Ugh, Bella the Mary-Sue must _die_," she murmured, rolling over. I sighed; she hates Twilight.

"Ebony, wake up," I said a little more loudly.

"Ughm, what?" she asked, cracking a lazy eye open.

"E-Ebony, don't freak out or anything, but we're on the Mess Hall roof."

Her eyes popped wide open. She sat bolt upright. "Say _what_?" she said, looking around.

"U-umm…." I said nervously, waiting for her reaction.

"…" she said nothing, but she did pass out. Well… it could have been worse. I crawled back over to the edge.

"Well?" asked Robert impatiently.

"I woke her up…" I started nervously.

"And?" said Forbes, looking curious.

"She passed out," I finished.

"Wake her up again. And keep her that way," ordered Robert. Oh, jeez. This isn't going to end well.

I crawled back over to Ebony. "Ebony," I said, shaking her, "wake up."

She groaned and peeked an eye open.

"Ivory, I just had the worst nightmare _ever_. We were on the Mess Hall roof, and- hey, wait, why do I see the sky?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ebony," I started nervously, "I need you to stay calm."

"Stay calm? What are you-" and then it seemed to hit her. "… That wasn't a dream, was it?" I shook my head. "So, we're really on the Mess Hall roof?" I nodded. Her voice was getting quiet, and increased an octave with each word. "H-how…?"

I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth, to muffle the scream of terror that came about three milliseconds after.

I heard Charlie's worried voice from below, "Girls? Are you alright? We heard a scream!"

I crawled back over to the edge. "Yeah, we're fine. Ebony just, well, she sort of panicked." The look confused at what I said. What? Why would they be- oh, I get it. I said 'yeah' instead of 'yes'. Now, I'm no 19th century lingo genius, but I'm pretty sure that they either a) don't understand what 'yeah' means, or b) think I'm talking 'improperly'. Either way, not good.

Robert got over it first and called up, "Miss Brooke? Come over her right now."

"I can't" Ebony called back. Her voice was shaking. Now, she may be the rough'n'tumble, 'I-can-beat-up-boys-twice-my-age' kind of girl, but a phobia can do things to a person. For example, I would _not _go down first, because no matter how much I wanted to be back on the ground, I now have a phobia of having someone fall on me.

"And why not?" Robert called back to her.

"I might fall," she said sheepishly. Robert sighed impatiently. Call me crazy, but I think his patience ran out a while ago.

"I have an idea," said Forbes, "on how to get you both down."

"You do?" she called down.

"Yes. But first, you have to come over to the edge."

There was a long pause, but finally, Ebony crawled slowly over to the edge. She stopped a few inches away. "This is as close as you're getting me," she said.

"That's as close as you need to be," he said. Then he held his arms out and said, "Jump."

**Ebony POV**

This is the worst day of my f-king life. First? I wake up on the Mess Hall roof. Next... well, nothing else bad has happened yet, but with my luck? I'm counting my blessings that I still have my kidneys intact… they _are _still in tact, aren't they? F-k, just great, now I'm paranoid that someone might try to go all Charlie the Unicorn on my ass and steal my kidney.

I heard Robert call up to me, "Miss Brooke? Come over her right now."

"I can't" I called back. My voice was shaking. F-k, just great, now they're going to think I'm weak!

"And why not?" Robert called back to me. Tch, c'mon Rob, do I _really _need to spell it out for you?

"I might fall," I tried to snap. I think I sounded more scared than intimidating.

"I have an idea," said Forbes, "on how to get you both down."

"You do?" I called down hopefully. I'd do anything, _anything_, to get down from this sky-high prison. Just said 'jump', and I'll say 'how high?'.

"Yes. But first, you have to come over to the edge."

I hesitated, but crawled slowly over to the edge. I stopped a few inches away. "This is as close as you're getting me," I said. I'm not crazy. Well, at least, not _that _crazy. I'm not going too close to that edge.

"That's as close as you need to be," he said. Then he held his arms out and said, "Jump."

Now, I know I said… thought… narrated… whatever… that if he told me to jump I'd ask how high, but not _literally_! How nutters does he think I am? ! Is he crazy? !

"Are you crazy? !" I asked.

"No, I'm realistic. There probably isn't any other way to get you two down soon."

"Major Forbes," said Robert, looking _pissed_, "this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

Ivory stood up nervously, and said, "I-I'll give it a try."

Forbes look up at her and grinned, holding his arms to catch her.

"Miss Brooke!" called Robert. I think he was talking to Ivory. "You had better not-" the order was cut short by Ivory jumping off the building. I gasped in shock. IS SHE INSANE? ! SHE COULD GET HERSELF KILLED!

I felt intense relief when Forbes caught her. I just then noticed how cute they look together. Robert, however, looked even more pissed off than before.

"Are you two insane? !" he yelled. Forbes put Ivory down.

"She's safe, isn't she?" he retorted.

"You two…! You could have gotten yourselves injured! _Badly_!"

Ivory, always being the peacemaker, said, "I'm sorry, sir."

Forbes, however, looked up at me, stuck his arms out, and said, "Ebony, it's your turn."

"Not a chance in-" I started to say, but Forbes cut me off.

"Look, there's no other way down. Either jump or stay stuck up there." Crap. He's right. I don't want to stay up here… and Ivory made it down okay… I reluctantly stood up.

"Alright," I said, "but if I get hurt, I hit you." By 'hit', I meant kill. But I don't think he realized this.

"Agreed," he said. Robert walked up to him and started yelling. Forbes ignored him.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, counted down; _One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go!_

I jumped. Ivory screamed. My eyes snapped open, and I saw that Robert and Forbes were arguing. Charlie was nowhere to be seen. I screamed, and my eyes snapped shut. You know that phrase, 'time seemed to move in slow motion'? Well, it didn't. In fact, it moved even faster than normal.

I heard footsteps… and then I felt someone catch me.

Now, being caught when you expect to go ker-splat is a _huge _relief. I figured that Forbes had run over and caught me.

I opened my eyes, and saw that I was wrong. It was Robert.

It took a second for it to click that _Robert_ had just caught me, but when it did, I mentally freaked the f-k _out_. I think I might have a crush on him. And he just saved my life… okay, so maybe that's a bit extreme. But still.

We stared at each other for awhile. I stared shamelessly into his deep brown eyes. God, he's cute. I swear, I wish there are more boys back home like him.

Finally, he cleared his throat and gently put me down. Slowly, I stood up.

"Um, th-thanks, for catching me," I said. He nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Forbes and Ivory. Ivory's mouth was open so wide, there was a chance bugs would nest. Forbes… well… he was silently cracking up laughing. Tch, prick.

Robert broke the awkward silence, "We've wasted enough time here. Miss Brooke, go to the medical tent."

"Which one?" Ivory asked.

Looking annoyed, Robert said, "Miss _Ivory_, go to your station at the medical tent," he looked at Forbes, "Major Forbes, get back to your duties," finally he looked at me, "Miss Ebony, if you have nothing more to do, then come with me, I can surely find a way for you to make yourself useful," he looked back at Forbes and Ivory, "Dismissed."

He started walking in what looked like random direction. Still numb from my near-death experience (_if _you could call it that), I followed him. I have to say, though this morning started off shitty, with extra shitty-ness, things are starting to turn around. God, I swear, it seems like every day since we (by we, I mean me and Ivory) got here starts off in the crapper, and by the end, things are just f-king peachy again. How, you ask? I don't have a godddamned clue. Just my weird, rotten/somewhat-okay luck, I guess.

I was hoping that nothing else (of interest, anyway) would happen. But, oh, was I wrong.

After walking around with Rob for about fifteen minutes, he sent me back to the Mess Hall to help clean up and get ready for breakfast. Apparently, the morning wake-up call hadn't even sounded yet. I'm surprised that my screams, and Ivory's, didn't wake everyone up.

I helped two officers (their names were Joshua and Michael) clean the Mess Hall up and prepare it for breakfast.

I learned via small-talk that they were both Corporals, and I think Mike was hitting on me. Josh was pretty shy. He kind of reminded me of the Jordan Sparks song, _Shy Boy_.

They were both really nice, and thought that I was pretty brave, volunteering to join the army as an aide, knowing that it was really dangerous, bloody, and filled with gore. I told them that my sister had joined as a nurse. Josh smiled.

"Well, then you're both very brave young women."

"Thanks," I said. I like this. Back home, if a girl joins the army, it's like '… meh'. But here? They're considered very brave and courageous. I think I can get used to this. Though, I don't like attention very much. Basically, I like being recognized for doing something that most people like me wouldn't normally do, but I don't want people gushing over me. I'm weird, I know.

After preparations were done, some kind of really loud noise echoed through the camp. It sounded like a trumpet, but deeper. WTH?

Josh told me that it was the bugle call.

"So, does that mean it's time for breakfast?" I asked. Mike laughed.

"Yes. It's a good thing we got done in time, otherwise Colonel Shaw would have our heads."

After meeting up with Ivory, I found out that we were supposed to eat with the troops. So, we got in line and got our food. It was some weird stuff I'd never eaten before, or even seen. It wasn't all that bad.

I overheard some jerk talking, "Yeah, them white girls don't belong here! So, las night, we took em' up on that there roof an' lef em' there fo the night! Ha! Dey probly don't know what hit em'."

"Haha!" went another one. "Trip, you got the right idea!"

I looked at Ivory. She looked at me. I stood up, walked over to that f-k tard (apparently, Trip) and punched him. Then, without a word, I sat back down. Just my luck, Robert saw, and walked over.

"What was the meaning of that? !" he demanded. Trip snickered.

"Well, sir," I said, using my amazing talking skills, "I heard him bragging to his friends that he put me and Ivory on the roof."

His head snapped around so fast I though he'd give himself whip-lash. He walked over to the guy I punched. "Is this true, _Private_?" he demanded.

Trip mumbled something.

"What was that?" Robert demanded sharply. All eyes were on us.

"Dem white girls don't belong here," Trip said, glaring.

"After breakfast, report to me, and I will give you your punishment," Robert growled, before stalking away in an angry huff. Obviously, he forgot about me. Whoo! This day just gets better and better.

**Whoo! Done! Yeah, I meant to make Trip look like a prick. I don't like him that much, in case you couldn't tell. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! I will pay you in the form of… lint? XD**


	6. What, WHAT?

**I'm really eager to write this chapter! I was just listening to the radio, when I got a sudden spark of inspiration! Also, I'd like to introduce a new concept to this story; the 'Past, Present, Future' concept. Basically, it'll go:  
>PastPresent/Future  
>(insert name here) POV<br>Yeah, like that. Basically, if it says 'Past', that'll be Ebony, Ivory, Khal, and all those guys. If it says 'Present', Chris, Ebony and Ivory's parents and others'll take the spotlight. Finally, in the event of 'future', you'll get a taste of Caleb's POV… and a few others. So, yeah. Also, I recently watched another movie that Matthew Broderick is in, called WarGames. It's really good, and I noticed something; one of the characters in that movie is named Joshua. That's the same name I gave that one guy in the last chapter, if you remember. And I saw the movie **_**after **_**I wrote that. Creepy! Anywho, now that I've explained that, please enjoy this chapter!**

**Wait, WHAT? !**

**Future**

**Caleb(?) POV**

I sighed, leaning back in my swivel chair and sipped cherry cola. Life is good. And, I have to say, Ebony and Ivory are blinder to the truth than I thought. I mean, honestly, I expected it from Ivory; she's a total ditz, from what I can see. But Ebony? She's tough. Perceptive. And definitely not as naïve as her so-called 'sister'.

All I had to do was tell them that they were doing good; they were doing the world a 'favor' by doing this. And that they couldn't go home without doing this first. I know that they could die from this, but who cares? There're plenty more idiotic little high-schoolers out there that'll be more than happy to do my bidding. Well, maybe not 'more than happy', but I can sweet-talk any girl into almost anything.

I turned my attention back to the massive screen in front of me. I watched as Ebony jumped from the building, and infamous Robert Shaw caught her without hesitation. I watched as he literally pushed Forbes (who was about to rush to the rescue) out of the way to save the dark-haired girl.

I snickered. Lucky girl. He's a historical figure of inspiration. And she has no idea that, in such a short amount of time, she's managed to get him to have an ever so slight crush on her. I doubt he even knows why he rushed to her rescue so quickly.

I can see why he's attracted to her, though, even if he doesn't entirely know it yet. Her hair, thick, straight, and raven-hued, cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes, an interesting blend of silver, blue and green that reflected everything more clearly than a mirror, but hid her emotions as though they were made of cement. She is truly an interesting find. Mix that with her snarky personality and quick wit, and you've got what everyone these days fears; something different. Something, unpredictable.

I think it's pretty damn ironic that her 'sister' Ivory, her best friend, is falling steadily in love with the Colonel's best friend, Cabot Forbes. Ironic, but amusing. I told them not to get involved with anyone… but really, what do I care?

It was a close call back in the street; she was convinced that I was up to no good. Despite her misleading grades, she's actually very smart. Almost too smart. She just chooses to use (coughcoughWASTEcoughcough) said smarts memorizing the characters, episodes, and theme/ending/insert songs of Keroro Gunsou, Soul Eater, Gurren Lagann, and Dark Angel (all of which, the last one exempt, being animes).

I once again turned my attention to the screen. I tried to pay attention, but it was almost no use. I'll be getting off work soon; only about an hour and a half left. I can't concentrate very well today. My plots for the futures of Ebony, Ivory, and everyone else involved are taking up too much of my attention.

I noticed Ebony talking to two men. I recognized one of them. A twisted smirk warped my handsome features. Little did she know that she was talking to Michael Hanson, my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather. Right then, his wife was at home, raising my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, and great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great uncle. Yeah. Lot of 'greats'. But nothing was really 'great' about any of them. They were all insignificant. I'm almost ashamed to call them my relatives. But I will be different; generations will look back on me as a great hero of my time.

Yawning, I decided to make it at least _look _like I was doing something productive. So, after the surprisingly entertaining incident in the Mess Hall, I decided to place a call to Ebony. I'd say I was just checking on her, even though that isn't true; I can monitor her and Ivory 24-7. But she doesn't need to know that. Practicing my 'nice' voice, I brought up the blue holographic screen on my multi-purpose watch (the same ones I gave the girls, though theirs can't time-travel), and placed the call.

**Present**

**Chris POV**

I stared in shock at my girlfriend, Lacey. How could she _say _something like that? My sisters are missing, _missing_, probably kidnapped, possibly being raped or dead, and she's telling me to 'stop worrying about it'? !

"Lacey," I said, anger seeping from my voice, "that it the most _selfish _thing I've ever heard anyone say! My sisters are _missing_, and you want to go _out_? How thick-headed are you? ! I can't just _leave_! What if the police call? I have to-"

"Jeez, calm down, it's just a couple of brats, who cares?" she said off-handedly. I was even more shocked now than before.

"Just a couple of brats? _Just _a couple of brats? ! Lacey, I think I know why Ebony hates you so much! I can't believe I didn't see how selfish and self-centered you are! Get out of my house! I never want to see you again! _Ever_!"

In a huff, she stomped out the door with her nose in the air, saying, "Fine, be that way! I don't want a stiff like you for a boyfriend anyway!"

I swear, I wanted to wring her neck. That cunt! She's calling me a _stiff_? ! My sisters are missing, for god sakes! And she expects me to be in the mood to party? ! I swear, how could I be so, so, so _blind_? I thought she was different, but really, she's just like all the other brats that live around here; selfish, and way too used to getting her own way.

My next thought was that I needed to stop sitting around, mopping, waiting for everything to come to me. I'm 23. I figure that I should know by now that, in the real world, nothing is just handed to you. You have to go out and get it yourself.

I walked out the door, and saw Lacey's pink and white Prius rolling out of the driveway, only to zoom down the street and to the right. If I'd been going after her, I would've been upset. But I wasn't. No, I was headed to my own ride; a dirty green Toyota pickup-truck. I've had it for seven years; ever since I turned 16.

I hopped in the car and put the keys (which I always keep in my pocket, just in case) into the ignition. I pulled carefully out of the driveway, and drove down the road, taking a left at the end of the road. My destination? The police station. I was going to volunteer to help in the search, instead of just sitting on my ass and doing nothing.

**Present**

**Emily Flaaner**

When I first heard that the girls were missing, I couldn't stop staring at the TV screen. I knew that, without a doubt, I was the last one to see them. And I had quite possibly driven the both of them right into the hands of their captors. The first day? I could literally feel the guilt consuming me. When the police questioned me, I was a total wreck, breaking down like a spoiled toddler in a supermarket candy aisle.

When I finally managed to calm down, I told them that I chased Ebony and Ivory, bless their hearts, to the woods, trying to catch them and make them stay after for detention. When I asked if I chased them in, I replied, quite embarrassed, that I'm terrified of the woods (have been since I was young), and would never go in without good reason. Two kids trying to escape detention is _not _considered a 'good reason'. Though, now, I wish I _had _chased them in. Or that I'd kept a closer watch on Ebony so that she wouldn't have been able to run away.

They're good girls; they don't deserve this! Alright, I'll admit, Ebony may be disrespectful and a bit of a slacker. But she doesn't deserve to be kidnapped! God knows what torment those two are enduring.

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

I was having a surprisingly good time, considering the fact that I was stuck in another time period. I'm actually starting to think that I might want to stay here.

Here? I have friends. I'm with my sister. I don't have to deal with homework, the Flaan, or anyone else. Life is, well, going okay.

Though, I have to admit, I was wrong about not getting into any trouble whatsoever. I got told off by Robert; he said that "A proper lady should be able to put aside her emotions and do what's right." Jeez, he sounds like my school principal. But other than that? I got off scot-free. Trip? Not so much. For the next two weeks, he gets to wake up an hour early to clean the Mess Hall, and, as Robert said, "Since you seem so fond of it, you can clean the roof as well. May this be a lesson to you." It's official; Robert is _awesome_. And Trip is a fail. Not even an epic fail; he's just a fail.

After the Mess Hall incident, me and Ivory met up with Khal again. Then we ran into Jupiter and Thomas. Not literally, obviously, but we started talking. Then some guy named Rawlins (who looked suspiciously like Morgan Freeman) came up to us. And just like that, we formed an inner circle.

Now, I've never, _ever_, been in an inner circle before. Ever. In my entire life. So, for me, this is pretty damn cool.

It's afternoon now, one day later, and Forbes told us that some guy, a drill sergeant, is coming. Apparently, he's supposed to teach the soldiers how to march, fight, and all that other army junk. Pfft, bitch please. If they need someone to teach them how to fight, let me take a crack at it. I can take down a guy twice my size and age without so much as a f-king _bruise_. I honestly don't doubt that I could easily take this motherf-ker down a few pegs.

I was wandering aimlessly around the camp (I probably should ask Robert for another task or something, but being as lazy as I am, I decided to let _him _come to _me_) when I saw Jupiter again. By now, I'd gotten over how ridiculous his name is (though I'd never say that I thought it was stupid his face, or to anyone, for that matter; he's one of my only friends, and I'm not a _complete _cunt), so, I walked up to him.

"Hi, Jupiter," I called.

He turned around. "H-h-hello Ebony," he stuttered out. Ah, the stutter. Kind of weird, but hey, it's none of my business.

"What's up?" I asked.

He looked up, then back at me with a confused look on his face. Oh, right! I mentally face-palmed. Of course, no one from this time would know what the slang from my time means! Damn, I really _am _an idiot!

"I mean, what's going on? Anything interesting?" I corrected myself.

He smiled, seeming to realize what I meant by 'what's up', "N-no, n-nothin. Wh-what bout' you?" he asked. Jeez, he's a _lot _nicer than the boys back home. Most would just laugh at me and walk away.

"Other than the incident in the Mess Hall yesterday? Nope, not yet. So, how's your day been?"

"G-good. An you?"

"Pretty good, so far." Just your average small-talk. Nothing big.

"W-well, g-goodbye," he said, and waved as he turned and left.

"Goodbye," I said. Well, this day's been going pretty nice, so far. So, obviously something bad and/or embarrassing _has _to happen. Otherwise, the world would blow up, or something.

The watch on my wrist started vibrating. Gee, if _that _isn't an interesting sensation.

I pressed a button that (through thoroughly examining it) I knew was the 'receive call' button.

"Hey, Ebony, how're things going?" said Caleb through the watch. No crackling. No static. Damn, I'm a couple thousand years away from this guy (_literally_), but the reception is perfect! Hot damn, I hope that bastard lets me keep this.

"Fine, I guess," I said, answering his question. Then I pressed the 'end call' button without so much as a 'goodbye', and once again hid the watch underneath my sleeve. And not a moment too soon. Well, what did you expect? He trapped me and my sister in the 1800's, _without _permission. That jackass'll take what he can get and _like it_.

"Miss Brooke! _There _you are!" I heard Rob's voice behind me. I turned around. He looked kind of mad, but mostly annoyed. Goddamn, that was close! He almost saw me talking into a wristwatch. Were those even invented yet? I dunno. But I _do _know that I got lucky with that one.

I felt the watch begin to vibrate again, but thankfully, it made no audible noise. I ignored it.

"Where on earth have you been?" he asked. I was tempted to say I was looking for him, but I doubted he'd believe me.

"Around," I said coolly, only realizing _after _I said it that he wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about.

"'Around'? Around what? What on earth is that supposed to- oh, never mind. Come with me," he said, speed-walking towards the entrance to the camp. I had to jog to follow him. Jeez, what's with the hurry?

"Why the rush?" I asked. He didn't look back at me when he answered.

"A drill sergeant is arriving today to properly teach the men. I am to be there to greet him, and you are to accompany me. Have I made myself clear?" he asked. At that last part, I could tell that he was irritated at having to explain it to me. Jeez, I'm not psychic; I _have_ to have things explained to me, or I won't understand.

"Yes sir!" I said with mock obedience that I doubt he noticed. I didn't bother saluting; he couldn't see me, anyway.

When we got there, the guy wasn't here yet. So, we got there with time to spare. Hey, I just rhymed! I'm a poet, and I didn't even- okay, I'm not going there. You get the idea.

A few moments later, someone road up on a horse, with some light luggage attached to the saddlebags. He had a really big mustache, and cruel, unforgiving eyes. I can already tell that we aren't gonna be instant best buds.

The creep dismounted, and walked over to us.

"Sergeant Mulcahy," Robert acknowledged.

"Colonel Shaw, sir," the guy (Mulcahy, apparently) said, saluting. He had a thick Irish accent. He kinda creeped me out.

Not knowing how I fit into this quite yet, I just stood there and waited for someone to remember my presence.

Forbes pulled Mulcahy's bags off of the horse led him someplace (presumably the barracks), and Robert told me to take the guy's horse to the stables. Then, he left. Well, f-k.

I cautiously took the horse's reins and led it towards the stable building. It didn't seem to _hate _me, but I don't think he (she?) was exactly basking in my presence. Did I mention that, except for when Rob made his big speech, I've never seen a horse before except for on TV? No? Well, let me tell you, those things are _huge_! Not as big as elephants, but still pretty damn big.

After _that _little snippet of terror (and being paranoid that it would try to kill me), I hurried as far away from the stables as possible.

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure _where _I was going; I hadn't exactly taken the time to explore the place. BUT, I _do_ know that I was walking through the area where the tents were. So, that's something.

After a little more wandering, I heard some shouting. Following the sound, I saw that guy, Mulcahy, doing something that looked like teaching the guys how to march. What he yelled at them shocked me.

"You march like a bunch of crippled old (the word after old was unintelligible; your guess is as good as mine)! Jesus Christ, we're gonna be here day and night until we get this right! One, two, company, HALT! About, FACE!" They all stopped and turned around. And what Sergeant Jackass said next made me want to punch him. "You are a bunch of ugly Mexican, African f-kin' whores! We're gonna be here day and night until we get this right gentlemen! Forward at the half-step!"

Oh my god, what a prick! 'Ugly Mexican, African f-kin' whores'? ! Now, I'll admit, I've said some pretty nasty stuff to a pretty wide variety of people, but I _do _have some standards to the shit I say, if you can believe that.

First off, I wouldn't make fun of someone's race. Second, I would make sure the insult actually _made sense _(seriously, 'Mexican, African'? Did he forget what racial nationality there are, or what?). Finally, unless the guy was a jerk and a total playa (not like Forbes is a playa. At least, when he's drunk, because he hasn't acted like that (as far as I know) since that party where he was _obviously _hammered. No, I'm talking about that one guy that you just know from the way he's _talking _that he wants to get in your pants), I would _never _resort to calling a _guy _a whore.

You see, guys that are pricks like that _really _piss me off. If that guy was in the army in _my_ time, he'd probably get the boot. And right about now, I wanted to take _my _boot, and shove it right up his-

"Miss Brooke!" Robert called over to me, interrupting my thoughts. You see, if me and Ivory are together, he uses our first names, but if we're apart, he just uses our last name.

I walked over and saluted. "Sir!" I said. He nodded. I lowered my arm.

Now, how did I learn the 'proper' responses to this crap so quickly? Forbes and Charlie helped me out on that one. Damn, who knew it'd be so _cool _having friends? Pretty much, I only had two back home; me and Ivory.

"Did you take Mulcahy's horse to the stables?" he queried.

"Yes," I said. Again, he nodded.

"Alright, dismissed," he said. I saluted, and walked away.

I began randomly wandering the camp, taking in the scenery. This place… it's actually pretty cool. I have to admit, I don't entirely hate being here.

I got bored pretty quick, so I made the short walk to the medical tent to see Ivory. This early in the game, no one's managed to get themselves hurt, so she has a lot of free-time.

"Hey, Ivory!" I called over. She looked up.

"Hi, Ebony. How's your day going?" she asked.

"Pretty good, you?" I answered/asked.

"Not bad. So, I heard from Forbes that some drill sergeant guy showed up today to train the guys. Did you see him?" I scowled.

"Oh yeah, I met him. Actually, I saw him drilling the troops. He is a _prick_! You know what he called them?" She shook her head. "He called them 'ugly Mexican, African f-kin' whores'!" Her jaw _dropped_.

"He _said _that? !"

"Well, more like shouted it."

"And he got away with it? !"

"Yup. Apparently, that kind of thing is _allowed _in this time period."

"That… that is just _rude_." I sighed. I swear, if I didn't know better, I would've sworn that she was from this time period. She shows it in almost every goddamn thing she _says_. I mean, seriously, don't you think that she probably could've been _born _in this time period? She can walk the walk and talk the talk enough. But, maybe I'm just overcomplicating this.

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

It kind of horrified me that that Mulcahy guy is actually _allowed _to call the troops that. I mean, yeah, in those army movies, I've heard the superior officers call the soldiers in training 'ladies', and other stuff to make them work harder, but 'ugly Mexican African *censored* *censored*'? ! I don't cuss, so I guess that can kind of explain the 'censored's in there.

After Ebony got bored, she told me (very sarcastically) she was going to go watch Mulcahy drill the men to get some 'new ones' for her insult book. After we both stopped laughing, I asked her what she was _really _going to do.

She shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I actually _will _watch Sergeant Asshat drill the guys. That way, when they're done, I can find our friends and see what's up. Oh, quick tip, don't say 'what's up' around these guys. They'll take it literally and actually look up to see if something's there. It least, that's what happened when I talked to Jupiter earlier. Damn funny, but I think I'll reserve _that _one for Trip and his little posse."

Giggling, I said, "Okay, Ebony, but seriously, don't get yourself into trouble, okay? And at least _try _not to get hurt or something?"

She snorted and said, "Yes, _mother_," teasingly. Then, she walked away. I sighed; Ebony can be kind of a handful. Not that I'm trying to raise her or anything, but, well, she kind of needs to learn when enough is really enough and not a ploy to get you to do more, and how far is too far. With some of the things she says, I have to wonder if she even _has _standards to filter what she says.

I shook my head and sat down. To put it mildly? I'm bored to tears. There's honestly nothing to do around here. I mean, yeah, I _could _go walk around, but what if someone gets hurt while I'm gone? They'd need me to help, and I'd be nowhere to be found or something. I don't want to get in trouble… unlike Ebony, getting into _any _amount of trouble makes me feel like the scum of the earth.

Absentmindedly, I used a stick to draw in the dirt. I drew two butterflies, a bird, a ladybug, five feathers, and a bat. Yeah, _that's _how bored I am. I'm resorting to drawing dumpy pictures in the dirt.

For Ebony? This is probably pretty fun. For me? Well… like I said, I've resorted to drawing stuff in the dirt. Things… aren't all that exciting for me right now. I sighed, and chucked the stick in a random direction.

"Ivory? Are you mad at me or something?" came a familiar voice. I didn't even have to look up to tell who it was, but I did anyway. Lieutenant Samuel Matthews. My 'partner in crime', so to speak. He's a doctor here, so technically, I'm just his assistant. But still, I like to think of myself as 'Dr. Brooke'. Pathetic, huh?

"Sorry, Sam," I apologized. "Did I hit you?"

"Nearly. What's going on? Are you upset?"

I sighed, "No, just bored to tears."

"Ah," he laughed, "so that's it. Well, why don't you take a walk around the camp? If any patients come in, I doubt that it'll be serious enough to require your assistance, given that none of the men have even been given guns or uniforms as of yet, much less a chance to fight on the battlefield. They only just today started drilling!"

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Sam. I'll be back as soon as I can!"

I jogged away calmly, waving to Sam as I left. He's a nice guy, with a slight accent that sounded like a mixture of British, German, and Irish. Odd, combo, I know, but I like it. It sounds… nice. Different.

Sighing, I decided to head away from where the men were drilling. I was afraid that I'd get mad at the drill instructor and snap at him. That… would probably get me into a world of trouble. A world I seriously didn't want to go to.

"Ivory!" I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and saw Forbes.

Now, by this point, I've somewhat accepted that I have a crush on him. Why wouldn't I? Sure, he's kind of a 'playa', but he's handsome and nice, too. I feel horrible for liking him, though; after all, didn't Caleb tell us specifically _not _to get attached to anyone? And what am I doing? Getting attached to someone. A very attractive someone… you know what? I just need to _stop thinking_.

"Hello, Forbes," I said, walking over to him. "So, what're you doing?"

"Nothing of dire importance. And you?"

"Just trying to ward off boredom…"

He laughed, "Well, would you like to accompany me on a walk through the camp?"

"I'd love to," I said, smiling.

It's official; my rating of the day was bumped up from 'Devastatingly Boring' to 'Very Nice'. Strange, the things a boy can do to you.

**Ugh, this whole chapter is random and filled with word vomit. It's probably not the **_**best **_**chapter I've written so far, but it has some lols, and a little twist involving Caleb XD. Seriously, did any of you actually see that coming? And the little (?) thing after Caleb's name. What do you think **_**that **_**means. I hope you liked this chapter as much as Ebony will (eventually) like Robert XD. Review, please! I will pay you in the form of… lint?**


	7. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

**Hello~! Thank you so much for all of the great reviews! It really means a lot to me, and I'm glad you all like the story! That being said, I plan on continuing this story for… awhile. How long, exactly? Well… my goal is to make it to **_**at least **_**20 chapters. In other words, if all goes well, this'll be my longest story on record. Also, the plot gets even **_**more **_**twisted in future chapters (if that's even possible…). Also, it's a little late, but… HAPPY 4****TH**** OF JULY! So, without further adu, please enjoy this chapter 7 of 'What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?'**

**One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

The next few days went by… well… pretty much uneventfully. Seriously, except for some light rain, nothing happened. Which was fine with me; in just this past week, I've had more excitement than I know what to do with.

I keep finding myself wondering if this is just one HUGE episode of Punked, or something, because I _really _feel like I'm getting the wool pulled over my eyes. I asked Ebony if she feels like this sometimes, and she said that if we really are on Punked, she's murdering Ashton Kutcher… I can understand that.

Right now? I'm in the Medical Tent, treating some guy's cut. He tripped, and sliced his arm open… on a stick. Seriously? After being here for only a week, I feel like I can write a book; '101 Ways that the Soldiers in the 54th Managed to Hurt Themselves and Each Other Before Even Setting Foot on the Battlefield.' Yeah, that's bound to be a page-turner.

The enlistees have no guns. No swords. No cannons to fire. No weapons _period_, and yet they manage to find the most creative ways to hurt themselves.

Okay, so, maybe I sound a little harsh. But, honestly? Really, a stick? The guy cut his arm… on a stick? One guy managed to mysteriously wake up with the tip of his left index finger missing. And another was woken up to being kicked in the shin. What the heck? I know this is an army camp, but are the guys _supposed _to be this… violent to each other? And are half of them supposed to be as danger-prone as Daphne on Scooby-Doo?

I've officially given up on learning all of the guys' names. I'm sorry, but there are just too freaking many of them. 10 guys? Easy. 100? Tough, but manageable. _1000? _Yeah… I don't think so. Even an elephant would have trouble remembering all these guys' names. And some of them are kind of… long. And hard to pronounce.

I quickly finished treating the guy's 'wound' and said, "There! Finished!"

He smiled, "Thank you, miss." He had a thick, _thick _southern accent.

"No problem," I said. "And please… try to be more careful."

He laughed, "Ah will darlin', ah will." I smiled. He's a nice guy, as far as I can tell.

I watched him walk away, out of sight, and sighed. Sam was nowhere to be found, and I didn't want to leave my 'post' unless he was here to make sure someone who needed medical attention got, well, attended to. So, back to boredom, square one.

Sighing, I laid down in the dirt and stared at the clouds. There was one… that I swear looked like the Flaan. Creepy. That was enough to get me to stop. Immediately.

"Ivory!" I sat up and saw Forbes walking over.

"Hi, Forbes," I said. "What's u- I mean, what's wrong?" I corrected myself, quickly remembering the advice Ebony gave me a few days ago.

"I found your sister unconscious."

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

F-K! What the hell was that? ! I swear, I was just minding my own business, when Trip the Prick comes out of nowhere and slaps me upside the head! Apparently, it's my fault that he got put on cleaning duty, so decided he was going to 'kick my sorry ass'. Pfft, bitch please. Of course, I fought like a hell-cat. Of course, I kicked some serious ass. And of course, I just _had _to get knocked out.

The son of a bitch pulled a fast one; picked up something heavy, and whapped me right over the head with it. I hit the ground, and the last thing I heard were his retreating footsteps.

You know, getting knocked out is just like falling asleep. Only a) you know its happening, b) you can't stop it, and c) it's scary as f-k, for those exact reasons.

Now, I've been knocked out before, but it seriously pisses me off when it happens.

Note to self; when I wake up, find Trip, and kill him. By cleaving his head off. _With my bear hands_.

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

I rushed after Forbes as he led me to Ebony. Sure enough, we found her unconscious, face-first in the dirt.

"Oh my- how did this…?"

"I don't know," said Forbes. "I was going to find Robert when I found, well, your sister. Asleep. On the ground."

After quickly examining her, I shook my head. She had a big lump on the back of her head, and there was a shovel lying nearby.

"She didn't just fall asleep. Someone knocked her out."

"Knocked her out? Who?"

Hey, if you want 'who', hire yourself a psychic. I'm just a doctor. Of course, I didn't actually _say _that. But I wanted to.

"I don't know! But, if I had to guess… I'm thinking it was Trip, or one of his friends."

"Trip?" asked Forbes, clearly not recognizing the name.

"The guy who put me and Ebony on the roof."

"Stay here, I'll go find him."

"No," I said. "Don't bother. When Ebony wakes up… he'll get all the punishing he deserves, and then some."

"What?" asked Forbes incredulously.

"Trust me. When provoked… Ebony can be, well, violent. _Very _violent. And she doesn't exactly take well to being rendered unconscious." At this point, I was trying as hard as I could to sound like someone who _belongs _in the current time period.

Forbes looked away, and was silent for a moment. Then he just sighed and looked back at me.

"Alright, but I doubt Rob will be too happy about it." I smiled at him. He smiled back.

So, Forbes helped me get Ebony to the medical tent, so that someone else wouldn't randomly stumble upon her. And so that I could treat the wound on her right cheek. Whoever she was fighting with (I'm pretty sure it's Trip, but I don't want to jump to conclusions) left a pretty nasty gash. My estimate is that it'll take, say, about a week to fully heal.

Sighing, I sat back on the ground and started doodling absentmindedly. I wasn't really paying attention to what I was drawing. It took me ten minutes to realize that I was thinking of how cute Forbes is… and what he might look like shirtless. I smacked myself and shook my head. No, no, no, no! I have to stop thinking about him! For one thing, he's in his early to mid twenties. I'm only seventeen, and I won't even be turning eighteen for another ten months! And, he's from the 19th century! I'm from the 21st century! That's, like, the king of long-distance relationships! _It would never work!_

Trying to shake all thoughts of him out of my head, I looked down at my artwork. I'd drawn eight pictures; a butterfly, two cats, a pumpkin patch of about four, and… wait, is that…? Oh, wow. I drew Forbes. Without even realizing it. I'm either insane or stupid.

I quickly smudged out the picture of Forbes with my foot; if anyone saw that, I'd never live it down. What if people start to think I like him? Though I kind of do- no! Like I already said, it would never work! On top of all of the reasons why it wouldn't, he probably doesn't even like me!

I scratched out all of the drawings, stood up, and kicked the dirt. I hate internal conflict. I'm used to either having an easy decision (right or wrong), or not having a choice at all. I don't want to have to choose whether or not to like a guy (especially if I already like him… gah! I need to stop thinking!)! I just have to keep telling myself that we're just friends. Just friends… wait, friends? Isn't that a kind of attachment? And Caleb told us not to get attached, so… does that mean I should just ignore everyone? But that would be rude… Why do things have to be so, so, so _complicated_?

"Ugh, what the f-k? Where am I?" Great, Ebony's up. Now I have a distraction.

I turned around. "Hey, Ebony. You feeling okay?"

"Well, let's see, I got my ass kicked by a _boy_, I'm in a different _century_, and Trip _knocked me out_. Yeah, I'm just dandy." That last part was so saturated in sarcasm it was dripping.

"Okay, I get it, you're having a bad day," I sighed. Then after a moment, I added, "So, it really _was _Trip that did it?"

"Yeah, the bastard blindsided me and hit me in the head with _something_. I don't know what the hell what. Did you figure it out?"

I sighed again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. "No, I didn't find anything. Maybe you should ask Forbes. He's the one who found you."

"Ugh, great. And why does my cheek feel like a fire ant bit me?"

"You've got a pretty nasty cut. I washed it out with vinegar. Apparently, that's what they use in this time period."

"Uh-_huh_. So, where's Trip?"

"I don't know. If you want, you can go find him. Just try not to let the Colonel see you, okay? He'll freak."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, waving me off. I sighed.

"_Real _'yeah, yeah, yeah', or, stop-talking-to-me-I'll-do-whatever-I-want 'yeah, yeah, yeah,'?"

"… I'm thinking the second one. Later!" Then, she just left. I would've stopped her or something… but really, why should I? She'll just get mad at me. Plus, when she's mad, she can turn into a friggin pulverizer. I kind of feel sorry for Trip.

"Miss Brooke?" I looked up, and saw Colonel Shaw coming towards me.

"Yea- um, yes?" I barely managed to catch myself. He didn't seem to notice my minor slip-up.

"Have you seen your sister?"

"Ye-es," I said, just barely stumbling, "she just left." He seemed incredibly annoyed.

"Well, if you happen to see her, tell her that I'm looking for her."

"Yes sir," I said. He walked away. I sighed; again, I'm doing it a lot lately.

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

Hmmm, let's see, I got my cheek sliced open, my head feels like someone hit me with a sledgehammer, I got knocked out, I was kidnapped by some prick from the 32nd century, I'm stuck in a different time period, and I think I might be getting a crush on the guy my history teacher has an obsession over, and said obsession just happens to be Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the leader of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first colored regiment. Yeah, it _has_ to be a Monday.

Well, on a semi-unrelated note, Trip is royally f-ked. As we speak, I'm thinking of how many ways there might be to skin a man and hang him upside-down by his ankles… _with his own skin_. Yeah, _that's _how pissed I am.

Basically, it goes in this sequence (0-10) – Neutral (0), Calmly sarcastic (1), peeved (2), annoyed (3), ticked (4), angry (5) , very angry (6) , pissed (7) , extremely pissed (8), seething with rage (9), homicidal (10). I was already at 'annoyed' before he hit me, because I got chewed out by Mulcahy, the Sergeant from Hell, for something I don't even _remember _anymore. Then, _after _butthead hit me (that might be why I don't remember), my anger rating escalated to 'angry'. When he tried to fight me, it slowly rose to 'extremely pissed'. And finally, when he knocked me out, it hit homicidal. An anger rating I rarely hit. Usually, the highest it ever hits is 9. Yeah. Surprised?

Anyway, now, where was I? Oh, right. Fantasizing about ripping Trip's intestines out and making a lanyard out of them.

"Miss Brooke!" Ugh, what the f-k now?

I turned around, and whaddya know? Here comes Rob, ready to piss me off even further.

"Where have you be- my god, what happened to your cheek?"

"Yeah," I said. "That's what I wanna know."

"You're saying you don't know how a very large wound ended up on the side of your face?" he actually sounded shocked (but also a little annoyed). Pfft, bitch please. I don't know where _half _of the cuts I get came from. And the other half… usually fights. Or otherwise some random accident.

"No, I don't." I said, letting the irritation fully show in my voice, giving him the chance to back off. "But I have a feeling I know who did it."

"Who?" Ugh, god, he just doesn't stop, does he?

"Trip." Rob looked confused.

"The guy who put me and Ebony on the roof. He started a fight with me earlier and-"

"Wait," he said. "Did you say that he _attacked _you?"

"Well, _duh_. How else did I end up unconscious?"

"You were _unconscious_?" It was obvious by now that he wanted the _whole _story. Well, tough shit. I'm looking for Trip, so that his body can ever so conveniently end up hanging from a nearby tree.

"Yes, I was. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rip out the empty pit that's where Trip's heart was supposed to go and shove it so far up his rear end that it won't be coming out any time soon."

Getting knocked out: $0

Having homicidal thoughts: $0

The look on Rob's face at that moment: Priceless

I took that moment to flee, and what do I see when I turn the corner? Of course, Trip. So what do I do? Well, I took the high road and asked him to apologize for- pfft, ha! Okay, if you bought _that_, you obviously haven't been paying attention to what I've been thinking, doing, or saying for the past couple of minutes. So here's what I _really _did:

First, I tapped him on the shoulder.

Next, when he turned around, I punched him in the face.

Then, I kicked him in the shin- okay, fine, it was his groin.

Finally, I took my elbow and jammed it into his back, effectively knocking him to the ground.

"Next time you try and mess with me," I said, leaning down, "you _might _want to wear some body armor. Or a jock-strap. Just a thought." I then straightened up, and walked away. Do they even _have _jock-straps in this time period? I don't thinks so. But now I have the satisfaction of knowing I confused him. So there.

Okay, fine, so I didn't kill him, so what? I still pwned his sorry ass! That counts for _something_, right?

"Miss Brooke!" Sighing, I turned around to see Rob coming towards me, looking pretty damn irritated. Ugh. Here we go again. Yup, definitely a Monday.

**How many of you caught the references I made in this one? Virtual cookies to anyone who can guess what two of them were (I'd say three, but one of them is kind of an inside joke)! I'll give you a hint, one of them was from another movie Cary Elwes was in (Cary Elwes is the guy who plays Forbes, just so you know). I hope you enjoyed~! Review, please! I will pay you in the form of… lint?**


	8. Severe Boredom with a Dash of Confusion

**Aloha~! So, prepare to be confused by the end of this chapter XP Seriously, it's going to be a little, ah, weird. BUT, rest assured, it'll all make sense… eventually. Right now, just enjoy the chappie~!**

**Sever Boredom with a Dash of Confusion**

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

I sighed; life is peaceful right now. No fights. No danger. Hell, not even any pricks to flip off. In short? I'm so f-king bored it's not even _funny_.

Honestly, you'd think there'd be a little more, oh, I dunno, _action_. It's an army camp, for f-k's sake!

Rob lectured (coughcoughYELLEDATcoughcough) me big time for pwning Trip, but other than that, nothing much. I just had to help tend the horses for a few days. I don't know what happened to Trip, though.

I was (at this point) so bored that getting knocked out by Trip-shit again almost sounded appealing. Sighing once again, I leaned back against a random building and realized something; at the moment, I was alone. So, what did I do? I shut my eyes and started to quietly sing (something I can only do well with a select few songs). It was a song called 'Want You Gone' (one of the few I'm _actually good at_). It's the ending theme of the best puzzle game _ever_, Portal 2.

"_Well here we are again_

_It's always such a pleasure_

_Remember when you tried to kill me twice~?_

_Oh how we laughed and laughed_

_Except I wasn't laughing_

_Under the circumstances I've~ been~ shockingly nice~_

_You want your freedom?_

_Take it~_

_That's what I'm counting on_

_I used to want you dead but_

_Now I only want you gone~_

_She was a lot like you_

_Maybe not quite as heavy_

_Now little Caroline is in here too_

_One day they woke me up_

_So I could live forever_

_It's such a shame the same will ne~ver happen to you~_

_You've got your short~ sad~ life~ left~_

_That's what I'm counting on_

_I'll let you get right to it_

_Now I only want you gone~_

_Goodbye my only friend_

_Oh, did you think I meant you?_

_That would be funny, if it weren't, so sad_

_Well you have been replaced_

_I don't need anyone now~_

_When I delete you maybe I'll stop feeling so bad~_

_Go make some new di~sas~ter~_

_That's what I'm counting on_

_You're someone else's problem~_

_Now I only want you gone_

_Now I only want you gone_

_Now I only want_

_You gone_."

Sighing, I looked up, and saw that (thankfully) no one was around to hear me (I fell a little flat on the last 'that's what I'm counting on' and the second to last 'now I only want you gone').

Then, I heard someone say, "E-Ebony? I-i-is that y-you?" Shit, piss, f-k! I'd recognize that voice anywhere. So, Jupiter heard me. I swear, if he wasn't my friend, I'd kill the man.

"Yeah," I called out. "It's me."

He came around the corner, and he was grinning.

"Y-y-you sing good," he stuttered out. F-k! He heard me! Well, at least he liked it.

"Thanks," I said.

"Wh-wh-what it called, that s-song? I-it sound kinda w-weird."

"It's called 'Want You Gone'. It's, er, a song a friend of mine made up."

"Y-you mean Ivory?"

"No, um, a different friend."

"Wh-wh-what her name?" I quickly tried to think of names that sounded like GLaDOS.

"Gladys."

"What it about?" Huh. He got through a sentence without stuttering.

"It's about her friend, um, Michelle. Michelle _used _to be her enemy, but then they became friends because Ch- Michelle's friend Whea-William betrayed her, but in the end, GLaDO- um, Gladys, decided that she was better off without Michelle in the first place." Huh, well whaddya know? I actually managed to improvise without f-king up completely.

"Th-th-that pretty intresin'." Ah, and the stutter is back.

There was a pause, before I said, "So, how much did you hear?"

"J-j-just the endin'."

"Ah."

Silence.

"W-w-well, I-I'd better go."

"Mm'kay. See you later!"

He waved as he walked away. I waved back, and sighed for the third time in under an hour. Boredom? Returning.

Finally, I stopped leaning on the wall and did the unthinkable. I went to go seek out Robert to see if he has anything for me to do. Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm bored, and, well, it'd _probably _be a good idea to try and get on better terms with him, via actually _going to him_, instead of making him seek me out.

**15 minutes later…**

Holy shit, where the f-k _is _he? ! What, did he just disappear off the face of the earth, or something? !

The only reason I didn't stop looking altogether is because that would be right back to square one/boredom central. So, I kept looking.

**25 minutes later…**

Son of a bitch, he's hard to find! This camp isn't exactly the size of NYC, but apparently, he knows how to disappear.

I swear, I don't even _care _how boring it is anymore; I'm taking break!

**15 minutes later…**

I've been sitting here for awhile now. I just laid down on the ground, and watched the sky. Ooh, look, a cloud that looks like Uncle Tommy. Actually, the resemblance is kinda scary…

I stood up and decided to go back on the wild goose-chase again.

"Miss Brooke!" There is only one person in this _entire _goddamn camp who calls me that, and I think we all know who he is. F-k, _finally_!

"_There _you are!" he said. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Where on earth have you been?" I stared at him in shock.

"_You've _been looking for _me_? _I've _been looking for _you_!"

"… What?" he looked shocked. Well, I guess he kind has a right to be. After all, I usually just wait for _him _to come to _me_.

"Yeah."

**. . .**

"Just out of curiosity," said Robert, "why were you looking for me?"

"Well, I'm bored to tears, so I figured I'd come ask if you had anything for me to do."

He sighed, "Well, as it turns out, _I_ was trying to find _you_ to give you an assignment."

"Okay, so, what is it?" He handed me some sealed envelopes.

"I have some letters I'd like for you to take to the postmaster."

"Yes sir," I said, saluting with the hand that _didn't _have any letters in them. He nodded and walked away.

**Present**

**Lacey POV**

Okay, honestly, what the hell is so special about those two _brats_ that Chris thinks he can just dump me? ! _No one _dumps me! I'm, like, the most popular girl in town! I am _not _the dump_ee_! I'm always the dump_er_.

He is, like, so totally rude! That prick! Hmph, well, fine! I can find another guy! A _better _guy! One who _doesn't _go running off the second he finds something about me he doesn't like.

**Present**

**Alison POV**

It's my fault. I _know _it is. _I'm _the one who told Mrs. Flaaner that Ebony was leaving. _I'm _the one who got them chased and, by extension, kidnapped. If they're being defiled right now… if one or both got killed… it's my fault. _It's all my fault_.

"Honey," I heard my dad say from the other side of the door, "c'mon, we're going to see Dr. Mason now." They think a _psychologist _can change this? He can't.

"Sweetie," came my mom's sugar-sweet voice, "it's alright. Just come out. Everything will be fine." No. No, it won't be. Because this is all my fault.

_**BANG!**_

**Present**

**Chris POV**

I stared in shock at the TV screen. This couldn't be true. That girl, Alison Mitchell… that girl that Ebony always complained about… I can't believe it. She… she's dead? She _killed _herself?

The news reported said that Alison killed herself with her dad's pistol. Apparently, judging by the suicide note she left, she blamed herself for Ebony and Ivory's kidnapping, and couldn't live with the guilt.

They also said that she's had some self-esteem issues her whole life, and this… it was just too much for her to handle. I mean… that's just… I can't believe it.

It's incredible, the riptide effect that their disappearance has had on this town; their teacher (I think it was Mrs. Flaaner?) refuses to leave her house. Alison… Alison _shot_ herself. Dear god, what is _happening_ to this town?

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

I sighed as I helped Sam treat one of the guys( I think his name was John). He apparently twisted his ankle during drill. Again, these men can always find some way to hurt themselves.

It occurred to me that life is still going on in my time, though, I prefer to think things just _stopped_. That way, I don't have to think about how mom and dad are probably worrying about us. And by 'us', I obviously mean me and Ebony.

When we finished, Sam helped John(?) to his tent, and quickly came back.

"So, how are you today?" asked Sam. I shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. What about you?"

"I'm alright."

Silence.

"Erm, is it okay if I just take a walk around the camp…?" I asked. Sam smiled.

"Sure, sure, go ahead. I can handle things here alone for awhile."

"Thanks, Sam," I said, waving as I walked away.

For a little while, I just wandered, trying to ward off boredom. Then, I ran into someone. Literally. I rounded the corner, and literally ran into someone. And that someone just happened to be Forbes.

"Wha- oh! I'm sorry!" I cried. He smiled.

"It's no big deal. I'm fine, okay? It's not like you did any real damage." I nodded.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Nothing much," I mumbled. "Just… wandering."

"Hm, mind if I join you?"

"Um, okay…"

And once again, I ended up wandering the camp aimlessly with Forbes.

**A few minutes later…**

"Are you alright?" I looked up.

"Yes, why?"

"You seem depressed."

I sighed, "I guess I'm just… thinking."

"About what?"

"A lot of things. My friends back home… my parents… my brother…"

"You have a brother?"

"Yes. His name is Christopher."

"Any other siblings?"

"Other than Chris and Ivory? No."

"Seems like a somewhat small family."

"It's not really that small. I have some cousins, an aunt, and a few uncles."

"Ah, I see. So, are you from Boston?"

"No, we're from up in Vermont."

"You've lived there your whole life?"

"No, actually. Before that we lived in Missouri." He raised his eyebrows.

"Missouri? Isn't that a slave state?"

"Yes. Our parents don't really believe in that sort of thing, and when word came that a war was starting, well, they wanted to get us as far away from that mess as possible."

"Really? Then how is it that they let you two come here?" And here's where the lying starts.

I paused for a moment, to think of something believable.

"Well, our mother… passed away around a year after the war officially began. And our father… he left us in Caleb's care so that he could join the Union army. He couldn't leave us with any of our relatives because, well, most of the men in the family had already joined, except for Uncle Tommy; he lives in California with my aunt and younger cousin, Melody. He obviously couldn't send us there, seeing as how far it is, so he sent us to live with Caleb, who lives in Boston. Caleb believes that women, if allowed to help, could turn the tide of the war, so… here we are." A complete and total lie, but a nicely made one, if I do say so myself. I think Ebony's been influencing me.

I think it worked, because Forbes seemed to buy it. Which sucks, because a) I _really _wish I had an excuse to tell him the truth, and b) I hate lying to people.

"That's very interesting. I'm sorry about your mother, though. How did she… pass?"

"W-well," I started, not really knowing what to say, "we don't really know exactly what happened. One night she went to sleep and the next day… she just, didn't wake up." He nodded, and for awhile, we were silent. For once, I decided to break the silence, instead of wait for someone else to.

"So, how's your day been so far?"

"Alright. And yours?"

"Erm, a little boring."

"What, talking to me is boring?" he teased. Unfortunately, I didn't catch that right away.

"N-no! That, that's not what I mean! I-I mean…!" He chuckled.

"I'm only joking, Ivory. I know that's not what you meant."

"O-oh…" I blushed. And then the awkward silence returned, with a vengeance!

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

Well, it's been about 20 minutes since I took those letters to the 'postmaster' (AKA colonial mailman) for Rob, got back, and reported back to him. He dismissed me, and once again, I'm absolutely bored out of my mind. I mean, honestly, it's an _army camp!_ There _has _to be _something _to do around here!

Eventually, I just sat down and decided to wait for Robert to come find me. Because trying to go to him worked out _so _well last time. But, instead of Rob, someone else found me.

"Well, hello thar lil' lady." Khal? Yup, it's Khal.

"Hey, Khal. What's u- going on?"

"Nothin' much. What bout' you?"

"Same."

3…

2…

1…

"Well, I best be goin' now."

"Mm'kay. See ya later!"

And once again, boredom.

I went to the medical tent to try and find Ivory, but Sam said she left a little while ago to walk around the camp grounds. Well, f-k.

Sighing, I walked over to the Mess Hall and sat down on the front steps. You'd think there'd be _something _for me to do. But, alas, nothing.

Well, at least it can't get any worse, right?

**Future**

**Caleb(?) POV**

Gasping, I sprinted away from the cell block. Sirens were ringing all around me, and there was a gash in my left arm. No, no, f-k! Why the hell did this have to happen? _Why the f-k do I have suck bad luck?_

I swear, if Markus hurts Ebony or Ivory… f-k, the girls! Oh god, are they okay? Did that son of a- no! F-k, no, no, no! I don't have time to think about this now! Right now, I have to worry about getting out of here! _Then _I can worry about them!

"Hey, there he is!" Shit, guards! Oh crap, he's got a plasma gun! F-k, no, no, no, no, no! I'm screwed! I'm so f-king screwed!

I tried to jump out of the way of the blast, but I ended up getting shot with the tazer gun the other guard was holding. I dropped to me knees…

A guard kicks me in the gut. I fall over. This can't be happening… I'll never get another chance to escape…

The other one tazers me again. My last thought, is that I hope the girls are safe, and that Markus, that slimy son of a bitch, doesn't get them. Then, everything goes black.

***doges flying tomatoes* AHHH! I'm sorry for the cliffy! ! I hope that was enough 'sorry's… Anyway, yeah. I think you'll all be pleasantly surprised at where this goes. For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks~!**

**P.S. 147 years ago today, July 18, was the day that Robert Gould Shaw led the 54****th**** in a charge against Fort Wagner. Unfortunately, he, along with half of his troops, were killed, and the fort was never taken. CarminaxBurana told me that she and Spanish Sunrise were going to hold a silent vigil and wear black in honor of them, and, well, I decided to do the same. A little late saying this but, yeah. Feel free to join! :) (Also, yes, I **_**am **_**wearing all black right now, and I haven't talked all day… though… right now, it's only 7:00 am. Who knows what time it'll be when you guys read this, but… yeah).**


	9. Complications on an Epic Scale

**Whoo! New update! :) Just to warn you, things are about to get **_**very **_**complicated between Ebony and Robert. And, of course, something else is going to happen. What it is, ah, I'll let you see for yourselves.**

**Complications on an Epic Scale**

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

Sighing, I rolled over onto my stomach. I know that it's too early to be up, but I just can't fall back asleep. What time is it, anyway…?

I pulled my sleeve back and groggily looked at the watch Caleb gave me. The hologram popped up, and the time read '5:32 am'… Seriously? Seriously, 5:32? Ugh, I just have to pick a day when I'm back about 140 something years in time to get up early, don't I?

Shutting off the watch and pulling my sleeve back down, I rolled back over onto my back. Seriously, who gets up at 5:32? Well, apparently people who go to sleep at 9 something at night. Which is way earlier than my normal somewhere-between-11:30-pm-and-1:00-am schedule. Honestly, I'm surprised I'm not waking up at this time _every _morning.

Yawning, I sat up, simultaneously swinging my legs over the edge of the bunk. It's not all that comfortable, but hey, I've fallen asleep in the woods with nothing but an above-ground tree-root as a pillow before. For me, this is nothing.

Anyway, I got up, stretched, and walked out the door. It was still dark out, but I see well in the dark.

I'm guessing that it's somewhere around fall or winter here, because in summer, the sun would be coming up by 5:00 (and because it's not exactly hot). How do I know this? I stay up all night during summer break. Not very healthy, I know (I get nagged constantly by Ivory for it), but I like to watch the sunrise, as sappy as that sounds.

Now, normally, you'd expect a clear night sky. Not today. No, there were dark, menacing rain clouds hanging over the camp.

Now, I'm no meteorologist, but it looks like it could start raining any time. I should _probably _go back inside, but as you can probably tell, I'm no expert at doing what I should probably do.

Then, something occurred to me. I'm probably the only one up this early. So, what's a girl to do, other than spy on people while they sleep?

First, I went to the tents, and found out something interesting about Jupiter and Trip; they both snore. I had to cover my mouth to keep form laughing.

Next, I visited random tents until I found Khal. I nearly had to bite my lip to keep the laughter in; he was on his stomach, drooling and whistling in his sleep.

Finally, I went back to the barracks to spy on the officers. Forbes, well, he wasn't doing anything interesting. Neither was Charlie. Or Josh. Or Mike. But, I had a little more luck with Mulcahy. He was sleeping with his mouth _wide _open. I was tempted to go catch a bug and drop it in there, to see if it would nest. Or if he woke up and swallowed it. Whichever happened first. But, I didn't. Mostly because I'm not _that _stupid; I don't want that creep after me.

I would go spy on Rob, but I don't really feel like dying _quite _yet. Maybe a few years from now.

I walked back outside and checked the time again; it was almost 6, and I noticed that it was getting light out. I hid the device thingy again and began to walk around the building. Cause' I'm just that bored. And that's when I saw him.

Now, let me explain something. There's apparently a window in Robert's office… room… thing… and you can clearly see in through. Now, here's what I saw; Robert. Shirtless. And I am _not _even kidding.

I think he might have been getting dressed or something, because he looked like he was about to put his shirt on when I ever so randomly happened to look to my left. And about half a second later, he looked randomly to the right. And saw me. And let me tell you, I have never seen anyone's face turn that particular shade of red.

I quickly power-walked as far away from that spot as I could. I mean, holy crap! I think some kind of alarm is going off in my head now, because I absolutely can_not _stop thinking about how cute he is. And, though I'm pretty shocked to have caught him at that _particular _time, I have to admit, the 'view' wasn't all that bad, if you know what I mean… god, I'm such a pervert.

I stopped behind my old friend, the Mess Hall, to catch my breath. If I was religious, I'd be praying that he didn't find me.

Unfortunately, he seemed to find me in record time. Goddamn it!

"Miss Brooke!" he called over to me.

"F-k," I mumbled. He didn't seem to really notice.

"Okay," I said, once he got closer, "I, um, I can explain!" Yeah, cause' I'm just articulate like that.

"Let's hope so," he said, sounding _pretty _pissed. "What are you doing awake so early?"

"Okay, so, um, I woke up a little while ago, and I couldn't get back to sleep. So, I decided to take a walk around the camp… and then I randomly happened to look to my left, and, er, I think you can figure out the rest from there."

He was silent for a moment, and I just hoped he didn't think I was lying.

"And how long, exactly, were you standing there before I saw you?"

"Erm, about a second or two? Maybe half a second?" I really have no clue.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, so I continued.

"Um, sir, I'm sorry," I said, hoping that he would try to refrain from killing me. "Is there any chance that we can just forget this ever happened…?"

**Past**

**Robert POV**

It had started off as a slightly different morning. It was barely light out, and the morning bugle call hadn't sounded yet.

The first thing that crossed the young Colonel's mind was, _What on earth am I doing up so early?_ But, seeing as how he couldn't get back to sleep, he decided to get up and get ready for the day. The first order of business was getting dressed.

He was just about to put his shirt on, when he looked out the window.

Now, he knew it was probably a bad idea to get dressed in front of an open window, but this early, he had high doubts that anyone else was up and about. He proved himself wrong the second he looked out the window and saw Ebony staring at him, looking shocked.

He felt his face flush with heat, and he watched her walk quickly away, nearly breaking into a sprint.

Robert quickly finished dressing and went after her. There were two reasons behind this. One; he wanted to know how long she'd been standing there. Two; he wanted to know why she was up so damn early in the first place.

To be honest, he wanted to avoid the confrontation; pretend nothing had happened and go on with the day. But he also wanted the answers to his two questions first.

The first place he checked was the Mess Hall. And, sure enough, there she was, catching her breath behind the building.

"Miss Brooke!" he called over to her. She looked up, and said something under her breath. He decided that it probably wasn't important.

"Okay," she said, "I, um, I can explain!"

"Let's hope so," he said, letting more agitation into his voice than he intended. "What are you doing awake so early?"

"Okay, so, um, I woke up a little while ago, and I couldn't get back to sleep. So, I decided to take a walk around the camp… and then I randomly happened to look to my left, and, er, I think you can figure out the rest from there."

He was silent for a moment, contemplating what she'd said. She didn't seem to be lying… and what she said answered his question, but he still had one more…

"And how long, exactly, were you standing there before I saw you?"

"Erm, about a second or two? Maybe half a second?" It was clear that she really didn't know the _exact _period of time she'd been standing there, but he was guessing not long.

"Um, sir, I'm sorry," she said. "Is there any chance that we can just forget this ever happened…?" Oh, how he hoped so.

After another moment of silence, he said, "I think, that it would be best, if we never mention this again."

"Mention what again?" she said, looking confused. Then, she smiled. He nodded.

"Dismissed." She saluted, and walked quickly away. He started slowly back towards the barracks, wondering why he felt so light-headed.

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

Wow. I can't believe it. He actually let me go. He didn't kill me! This, my friends, is cause for celebration.

After I rounded the corner, I did a little happy dance. Whoo! I lived! Hallelujah!

… Okay, seriously, why am I still thinking about what Rob looks like topless? Though, I have to admit, he's actually pretty h- you know what? I'm not even gonna_ finish _that sentence.

And of course, life went on as usual. Ivory was kinda shocked when I wasn't in my bunk when the bugle call sounded. I told her that I just woke up early and took a walk; I told her nothing of my little encounter with Robert. This was because if _anyone _heard about what _really _happened, and the info just _happened _to spread back to Rob, I'd end up with my head speared on a tree branch somewhere, with the rest of me six feet under at the bottom of said tree.

Okay, maybe not _literally_, but still. If I tell anyone, and he finds out, I can just kiss my ass goodbye. So, I'm not taking that risk. One of the smartest decisions of my life.

That evening, after the troops were done being drilled by Mulcahy (AKA the Spawn of Satan), it started to pour down rain.

Now, I may or may not have mentioned this before, but it's been raining a whole f-king lot lately. Seriously, I thought _Spring _was the season for rain, and _Fall _is the season for dead/dying trees, bushes, and flowers. What, did Mother Nature take her first hit of LSD or something? Just sayin'.

Anyway, while everyone was stuck inside, a lot of the officer guys were telling stories and stuff. And then, we were all assembled. Outside. For some kind of important announcement. For the love of- it's like, what, 8:00? And pouring down rain? F-king hell! Rob _really _could've picked a better time for an announcement.

So, once we were all assembled outside, Robert came out, and started reading some letter that, to be honest, I'm surprised wasn't soaked the second it was taken out.

"In accordance with President Lincoln's wishes," he started, looking _very _nervous, "you men are advised, that the Confederate Congress, has issued a proclamation." The Confederates are the 'bad guys' in this war, that much I know. So, judging by the look on Rob's face, this _can't _be good.

"It reads," he continued, "'Any Negro, taken in arms against the Confederacy, will immediately be returned, to a state of slavery." WHAT? ! Are you kidding me? ! But, there was more. "Any Negro, taken in federal uniform, will be summarily put to death." … Seriously? Just, just _really_? F-k! That's just wrong! But, _of f-king course_, Rob wasn't finished. "Any white officer, taken in command, of Negro troops, shall be deemed as inciting servile insurrection, and will likewise, be put to death.'" That's it, give me an AK-47, the Confederates are f-king _screwed_. Then, Rob said something else.

"Full discharges, will be granted in the morning, to all those who apply." Whoa. That was… a little unexpected. Everyone was then dismissed. I noticed that he said something to Forbes, but I couldn't tell what.

Ivory came up to me and said, "Ebony, I think the Colonel's kind of… upset."

"Well, no shit Sherlock! What do you expect?"

"Listen, I think… I think you should talk to him."

"_Me? _Why? It's not like he'll listen." Especially not after what happened this morning.

"Just, just tell him _something_. I'm going to go talk to Forbes and Charlie. Just, just go."

So, after standing there a moment, I did.

I walked inside and managed to catch Rob before he went into his office/room thingy.

"Um, sir?" he turned around. There was a kind of empty look in his eyes. Yikes.

"Um, can I talk to you for a moment, in private?" Oh yeah, way to sound like a total f-king idiot. Honestly, why am I even doing this? I don't even know what I'm going to _tell _him yet… Okay, so maybe I do. But I have absolutely _no _idea how to phrase it without embarrassing myself.

Slowly, he nodded, and I walked in after him. He stared at me intently, but he also looked like he just wanted the day to end.

"Um, I just wanted you to know," okay, not a bad start, now to finish… "that, um, well," c'mon, spit it out! "Well, I just wanted to say… that I'll still be here, in the morning." Wow. I, I actually managed to sound like even _more _of a total sappy dumbass. Congrats, me.

Robert looked… relatively surprised at what I told him. I'll say this; he _definitely _didn't expect _that_.

"Is that all?" he asked slowly, as if thinking 'Okay, she gave me the good news, what's the bad?' Well, for once, I'm _happy _to disappoint. I nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Dismissed." I saluted, and walked out, closing the curtain behind me.

I made a beeline for Ivory.

"How'd it go with Charlie and Forbes?" I asked. She sighed.

"Both unresponsive. I think they went into shock after the Colonel's big announcement." I sighed and shook my head. "Speaking of the Colonel, did you have any luck with him?"

"I'm not sure. I think I should give him a little time, so that the info can sink in."

"What'd you tell him?"

"That I'll still be here in the morning."

"Hm."

After that, Ivory went back to her own bunk and fell asleep. I, however, I couldn't. Sleep just, wouldn't come. Goddamn it, whenever I try to stay up to watch a scary movie, I always fall asleep and miss the ending, but now, a good 100 something years in the past, I'm catching insomnia? Well, f-k. Life is cruel.

I cracked open the door just enough to peer outside, and saw Rawlins, carrying what looked like a rake. What the- wait, is… is he _drilling_? At _night_? _In the rain? _Well, I know one guy that's staying; I doubt he'd be out there if he was just going to up and leave tomorrow. Now _that_, my friends, is dedication.

Sighing, I walked back to my bunk and plopped down on it.

Finally, after laying there for about three hours, I fell asleep.

**Yes. Some Robert/Ebony 'fluff', and the big announcement was made. I swear, I had to watch that particular speech about twenty times to get it exactly right. Well, my DVD player got one helluva workout. I hope you enjoyed! 3**


	10. Glory Hallelujah

**Wow, I've been updating quickly lately, huh? I'm GLaD you all like this so much (lol, Portal reference)! And, also, if there's **_**anything**_** that seems out of character with the movie characters, please tell me. I want to make this as realistic and enjoyable as possible! So, yeah. Also, if you want to see a picture of Ebony and Ivory, go to my deviant Art account (the link's in my profile :) ). It's the last picture I posted, so it should be the first on the page. Just to warn you, it's in anime style, so it won't exactly look realistic. Still, if you decide to check it out, I hope you like it! Anywho, on to the chapter!**

**Glory Hallelujah**

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

Rolling over, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Morning. I smiled. Why wasn't I worried about what Colonel Shaw had announced the night before? Because, I pay attention in History class, so I know that no one in the 54th deserted. At least, not this early in the game.

Many of the officers were up and about already. Most, actually. The few that weren't were sluggishly getting up. But, they were all here. All of them. And I knew that the troops would still be here, too.

Sitting up, I stretched. Ah, what a nice morning! The sun is shining, the birds, well, okay, there aren't _really _any birds singing, but still.

I have to admit, it was a little chilly, but it wasn't anything unbearable.

I went over to Ebony to wake her up.

"Nng, go away," she murmured, waving me off.

"Ebony," I said in a sing-song voice, "it's time to get up~!"

"No," she grumbled, rolling over. "Five more minutes."

"Aren't you curious about the troops?"

"What the hell are you- OH SHIT!" She sat bolt-upright in her bunk, suddenly wide awake. Everyone stared at us.

"Ebony," I hissed, "don't curse! At least, not here!" By the time I finished, everyone continued about their daily business.

"Whatever. Anyway, are they-? Is anyone still-?" I grinned at her.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." She smirked.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Follow me, and you'll see."

We walked outside, and her eyes widened. The morning bugle had already sounded. Almost all of them were in position.

"Oh hell yes," she said.

"Ebony…" I sighed. Sometimes, she can really get on my nerves.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, unlike you, I actually pay _attention _in History class," I whispered. "No one deserted this early in the game. I don't think anyone ever deserts _at all_."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Badass."

By the time we finished talking, the men were all in position.

"So," Ebony said, "how do you think Rob's gonna react?"

"Wait a few seconds, and we'll find out."

Forbes came to stand beside us.

"Good morning," I said cheerfully. I can't deny it any more; I'm developing a crush on Forbes. Even though it's stupid, it's happening. Forbes smiled.

"Morning."

"Mornin'," said Ebony.

And then, Colonel Shaw began to walk towards us.

**Past**

**Robert POV**

Slowly, he trudged toward the door. He was relieved to see Forbes standing there. Ivory was, too. And, at the end of the three-person line, was Ebony.

To be honest, he was pleasantly surprised to see Ivory and Forbes there. But not Ebony. Her promise to stay the night before had been oddly reassuring. But, he was still less than optimistic that anyone else had stayed.

Still buttoning up his coat, he slowly walked up to the three, looking over them. Finally his eyes settled on Forbes.

"Good morning Major," he said quietly, wondering what, _exactly_, is so good about it. "Miss Ivory, Miss Ebony." Using her first name was… odd. He was more used to calling her by her last name, but since the girls were sisters, they shared the same last name, so it would be confusing.

For a moment, he was sure that the girl in question smirked slightly for a moment. But he decided that he had to have imagined it.

"Sir! Formed and ready, sir!" shouted Forbes. Formed and ready? Thank God, at least _some _of the men had stayed. But, exactly, how many?

"How many are left?" Robert asked quietly. Forbes said nothing. Glancing down at the girls, as if one of them might answer, he noticed Ebony look at him, then quickly glance outside, as if to tell him to go see for himself. Slowly, he did, still buttoning up his coat. And what he saw stunned him.

All of the men where there. Well, he obviously couldn't tell if _all _of them were there, but most of them, anyway.

"ATTENTION!" the officers yelled. The troops stood up straighter, looked more alert.

For a moment, Robert was rendered speechless. Then, finally, he finished buttoning up his coat and said softly, "Glory Hallelujah."

**Past**

**Forbes POV**

Forbes came to stand beside the girls, who were standing near the doorway.

"Good morning," Ivory said cheerfully. Forbes smiled. He had to admit, he was quite infatuated with the girl. It was just something about the way she always seemed so bright, which was in great contrast to the usual gloom.

"Morning."

"Mornin'," Ebony said.

And then, Robert began to walk towards them. Ebony hid her smile. Ivory and Forbes followed her lead.

Forbes noticed that Robert was still buttoning up his coat as he trudged toward them. It was obvious that he wanted to be anywhere but there. Forbes almost couldn't wait to see Robert's reaction.

"Good morning Major," he said quietly to Forbes. Then, he noticed the girls. "Miss Ivory, Miss Ebony."

"Sir! Formed and ready, sir!" shouted Forbes.

Robert looked somewhat surprised that anyone was left to be 'formed and ready'. Of course, after the grim news he'd delivered the night before, he had a right to.

"How many are left?" he asked. He hardly sounded alert. Then again, he was probably not expecting much. Forbes said nothing. Robert glanced at Ebony and Ivory, before slowly walking outside, still buttoning up his coat.

"ATTENTION!" the officers yelled to the men when they saw their Colonel step out of the doorway. The men all suddenly stood up a little straighter, looking more alert.

Robert was silent for a moment. Then, as he finished buttoning up his coat, he said softly, "Glory Hallelujah."

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

The Colonel was still buttoning up his coat as he trudged toward us. It was obvious that he wanted to be anywhere but here. Well, he's about to get one big surprise. And a very good one, at that.

"Good morning Major," he said quietly to Forbes. Then, he noticed us. "Miss Ivory, Miss Ebony." I tried as hard as I could to hide my smile.

"Sir! Formed and ready, sir!" shouted Forbes.

Colonel Shaw looked somewhat surprised that anyone was left to be 'formed and ready'.

"How many are left?" he asked. He hardly sounded alert. Then again, he probably wasn't expecting hardly anyone left. Forbes said nothing. Colonel Shaw glanced at Ebony and I. Ebony looked at him, then quickly glanced outside, as a small, silent gesture for him to go see for himself. Slowly, he walked outside, still buttoning up his coat. And he looked astonished at what he saw. Finally, I let my smile out.

"ATTENTION!" the officers yelled to the men. They all suddenly stood up a little straighter, looking more alert.

The Colonel was silent for a moment, before he finished buttoning up his coat, and said softly, "Glory Hallelujah."

**Past**

**Thomas POV**

He stood there among the crowd of enlistees, waiting for Robert to walk out of the door. Surprising as it was (especially after the grim proclamation the Confederates had issued), none of them had left. All were accounted for. And that right there was uplifting news.

Finally, Robert appeared out of the doorway, still buttoning up his jacket. He looked absolutely shocked to see all of the men, still there. None had left.

"ATTENTION!" the officers yelled upon seeing their Colonel. All of the men stood up straighter, became more alert.

After finishing buttoning up his jacket, he said something too quiet to hear. Thomas grinned, figuring that Robert had said that one phrase he always said when something good happened when he expected bad; "Glory Hallelujah."

**Past **

**Ebony POV**

I felt someone trying to wake me up.

"Nng, go away," I murmured, waving whoever it was off. Why do I feel like I should be remembering something…?

"Ebony," they said in a sing-song voice I recognized as Ivory's, "it's time to get up~!"

"No," I grumbled, rolling over. "Five more minutes."

"Aren't you curious about the troops?"

"What the hell are you- OH SHIT!" I sat bolt-upright in my bunk, suddenly wide awake. Everyone stared at us.

"Ebony," she hissed, "don't curse! At least, not here!" By the time she finished, everyone continued about their daily business.

"Whatever. Anyway, are they-? Is anyone still-?" she grinned at me. I have a feeling she knows more than she's letting on.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." I smirked.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Follow me, and you'll see."

We walked outside, and my eyes widened. Almost all of the guys were in position. Wow. After the speech that Rob, gave, I was expecting about half of them to be gone.

"Oh hell yes," I said. The smirk had long since turned into a Cheshire-sized grin.

"Ebony…" she sighed. Sometimes, my habit of cussing annoys her.

"How did you know?" I asked, suspicious.

"Well, unlike you, I actually pay _attention _in History class," she whispered. I rolled my eyes; oh please. "No one deserted this early in the game. I don't think anyone ever deserts _at all_."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Badass."

By the time we finished talking, the men were all in position. It looked so f-king cool.

"So," I said, "how do you think Rob's gonna react?"

"Wait a few seconds, and we'll find out."

Forbes came to stand beside us.

"Good morning," Ivory said cheerfully. Forbes smiled. I swear, that girl has the _biggest _crush on him, and (seeing as how he's a guy) he's completely clueless. Huh. Maybe men _didn't_ change thatmuch since this time period.

"Morning."

"Mornin'," I said. For some reason, I felt like I was intruding in something private.

And then, Robert began to walk towards us. I hid my smile. Ivory and Forbes followed my lead.

I noticed that he was still buttoning up his coat as he trudged toward us. It was obvious that he wanted to be anywhere but here. Well, he's about to get one helluva surprise. I honestly couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

"Good morning Major," he said quietly to Forbes. Then, he noticed us. "Miss Ivory, Miss Ebony." I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and for a brief second, I smirked.

"Sir! Formed and ready, sir!" shouted Forbes. Jeez, are you sure you said it loud enough? I'm not sure the people in Japan heard you.

Robert looked somewhat surprised that anyone was left to be 'formed and ready'.

"How many are left?" he asked. He hardly sounded alert. Then again, he was probably expecting a measly number like 10 or something. Forbes said nothing. He glanced at me and Ivory. I looked at him, then quickly glanced outside, as a silent gesture for him to go see for himself. Slowly, he walked outside, still buttoning up his coat. And I swear, the pleasantly shocked, disbelieving look on his face was almost worth getting up at the crack of dawn.

"ATTENTION!" the officers yelled to the men. They all suddenly stood up a little straighter, looking more alert.

Rob was silent for a moment, before he finished buttoning up his coat, and said softly, "Glory Hallelujah." Again, almost worth waking up before the local wildlife.

**Yeah. Not really much to this chapter, but hey, I included Forbes's **_**and **_**Thomas's POV for the first time in this one, so that's something right?... Right? XD Jeez, seems like I'm updating once a day now, huh? Well, at least I'm updating XD I hope this was epic enough for you :) Review, please!**


	11. In Which Weird Dreams Ensue

**Two updates in one day… haven't done that in awhile. Maybe because I've kinda been slacking off lately XD BUT, since the 18****th****, I've really been picking up the pace, if I do say so myself. Also, this chapter (chapter 11) will officially tie me with my longest story so far; 'Me and My Friends in Silent Hill'. When the next chapter goes up, this will officially be my longest story! Though, that's not really saying anything, considering the fact that I usually loose interest right in the middle of a story I'm writing. That's why everything else is on hiatus XD So, enough about the fact that I'm a procrastinating girl who possibly has ADD. Let's just get on with the story, shall we? I think we shall :)**

**In Which Weird Dreams Ensue and Life Gets (More) Complicated**

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

After the little thing where the troops _didn't _desert, things went back to normal. A few days later, it hadn't rained in awhile, so things were now dusty. My eyes are constantly watering from the stuff blowing around.

I was standing next to Rob when the guys came around the corner. Mulcahy the Soulless was drilling them, and they were jogging. They came to a stop, and I noticed that some guy in the front started coughing and fell over. After a second, I realized that it was Thomas.

I stared as Mulcahy yelled at him.

"You're not dismissed boy-o! You'll fall out when I say and not a moment sooner, you hear me? !" Thomas kept coughing, but I think he said 'yes sir' somewhere in there. He didn't get up as fast as Mulcahy wanted, so… Mulcahy kicked him in the ribs. Ouch, that's gotta hurt. I _would _go over there and help, but… I value my life.

Thankfully, Robert stepped in.

"Sergeant Major!"

Mulcahy stopped harassing Thomas, long enough for the guy to get up. Then, he came over here. I had to wonder what Rob had to say to Creepy.

"Sir!" he said (more like shouted. What is _with _these guys and shouting, seriously?)

"At ease, Sergeant," said Robert. Mulcahy put his hands behind his back, but he still looked kinda scary. I. Don't. Like. Him.

"I have no doubt that you are a fair man, Mulcahy," started Robert. Is he going to get on Mulcahy's case for harassing Thomas? Whoo! Go Robert! As far as I see it, you've gotta have nards of steel to challenge that guy, no matter _how _much farther up the proverbial pecking order you are.

"But I wonder if you are treating these men too hard," he finished. Well, no shit Sherlock! I figured that out on the guy's first _day_!

"Do you disagree?" Robert asked. Mulcahy said nothing.

"You may speak freely." Another pause.

Then, Mulcahy said, "The boy is your friend, is he?" I could tell right then and there that wherever this was going, it wasn't anywhere good.

"We grew up together, yes," answered Robert.

"Let him grow up some more." Ouch. That stung, and it wasn't even directed at me. If you didn't know what was going on here, you'd think that Mulcahy was the one of higher rank here, judging by how they both look right now.

"I see," said Robert, who looked like he _really _regretted give Douche Bag 'permission to speak freely'.

"Well that be _all_, sir?" Mulcahy said, as if he had something extremely important to attend to. What, harassing more soldiers?

"Yes," said Robert. Then more loudly, he said, "Dismissed!"

Mulcahy saluted, and went on his merry way.

After than, things went on boringly and normally as ever.

_Finally_, it was time to go to sleep. I was honestly ready to go to bed.

I laid down on my bunk, and quickly drifted off.

~.~.~.~.~

**Past**

**(still) Ebony POV**

I just woke up from this weird dream. The thing that was weird about it was that it was about something that happened a few years ago. I think I was eight.

Me and Ivory were playing piano (yes, we both know how to play piano). We were playing a song together, on the same piano. I forget what song we were playing, but in my dream, we were playing the song Decode by Paramore. Weird, right? Well, it gets weirder. I was singing along with the playing. I didn't suck. And it was played more slowly than it originally was, so it sounded haunting and kinda creepy.

Plus, on top of that, my voice sounded the way it does now, instead of the way it did when I was eight. But, I can still remember that one part…

"_How did we get here?_

_I used to know you so well~!_

_Yea-ah~ Yea-ah-ah-ah~!_

_How did we get here?_

_I used to know you so well~!_

_I think I know!_"

It kinda scares me. Mostly because _that's the only part of the song I remember_. I mean, I read somewhere that sometimes, dreams are trying to tell you something. But what in the _f-k _could _that _eerie as shit thing _possibly _tell me?

Ugh, that part, I can't get it out of my head! F-king- what the hell is _wrong _with me? !

**3 hours later…**

That's it; I'm going to go talk to Ivory. She knows about this stuff; she might know what the hell it's about, _if _there's anything to it, other than the fact that my mind is _seriously _messed up.

I walked quickly to the medical tent, and thankfully, Ivory was there. Alone. Perfect.

"Hey, Ivy!" I called. She looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Okay, so you know a lot about dreams and stuff right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I had this _really _weird dream, and I was wondering… could you help tell me what it _might _be about?"

"Sure, no problem. I'm not busy."

"Thanks."

"So, what happened?"

Over the next few minutes, I recapped the dream to her. She seemed a little anxious by the time I was done.

"Let me guess," I groaned, "it's something bad."

"Well… okay, probably," she said slowly.

"Just tell me what it is so I can try to avoid the nightmare."

She sighed, "Did you even pay _attention _to the song lyrics? 'I used to know you so well'? It obviously means that someone isn't as they seem. It could also speak of betrayal."

"Betrayal? Someone that's two-faced? Well, we obviously know who _that _is."

"Who?" Does she honestly not know?

"It's Caleb! Think about it; the creepy bastard kidnaps us and strands us a hundred and forty eight years in the past!"

"One hundred forty seven."

"Whatever! The point is, Caleb, the prick, is up to something!" Ivory sighed.

"Well… I guess it _would _explain a few things. But what could he possibly be hiding?"

"I don't know! But whatever it is, it's something big."

I eventually walked away.

Well, isn't this just f-king _dandy_? Ugh, I swear, if things around here get more complicated, my head'll explode.

**So, yeah. Another chapter completed, nya! I hope you liked it! Review pwease!**


	12. I Shot the Werewolf

**Another update! Whoo! Jeez, I've been updating frequently, eh? Well, I'm glad you all like what I'm putting up, and I hope you like this chapter!**

**P.S.- This chapter officially makes this story my longest yet! *throws confetti* Yay! :)**

**I Shot the Werewolf**

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

I sat bolt-upright in my bunk, panting. Jeez, that was a weird dream!

I dreamt that I was in a forest in La Push (you know, the Indian reserve that's right next to Forks in the Twilight Saga?), and I had this dog with me named 24. It looked like it was sometime during early spring or late winter.

I had a gun with me, and what looked like an inventory screen for a video game popped up.

There was an item in my 'inventory' called a Tiger Bullet (there was also a flashlight, a glow stick, and a canteen). The black-and-orange striped bullet automatically went into a slot labeled 'ammo', and the screen vanished. Then the dog began barking, and ran towards a guy I immediately recognized as Jacob Black.

"Twenty-Four! Stop!" I yelled (I somehow knew the dog's name). Jacob looked up and smiled.

"Is this your dog?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is. His name's Twenty-Four."

"Twenty-Four? Odd name for a dog."

And then I whipped the gun out and shot him. That's about when I woke up.

Gah. Freaky dream. That's it; no more staying up late. It always gives me freaky dreams.

**Short chapter is short XD Actually, I had this same dream last night (I have no idea why). I've had it once before, too. I have no idea what it means. But, I decided to base a chapter on it. Why? I have no clue XD I hope you enjoyed this random little blurb :)**


	13. Matters of the Heart

**Chapter 13! Whoo! I'll admit, chapter 12 was a little… dumb. But hey, I wrote it at around 12:30 at night. Cut me some slack. Also, sorry for not updating for, like, two weeks. I got writer's block right in the middle of it and then… then I just kept forgetting to upload the chapter D:. I'm glad you're all enjoying this so far! All reviews are definitely appreciated! Also, there will be some Robert/Ebony fluff in this chappie :3 Forbes and Ivory'll have their turn next time XD School starts in three days now, so I won't have nearly as much time to write :( Especially not with the project (fanfic) I'm going to be working on all year long. Enjoy~!**

**Matters of the Heart**

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

Earlier, Ivory told me about a weird dream she had. To be honest, it made me laugh. I mean, honestly, she killed Jacob Black with something called a Tiger Bullet. How epic is _that_? Ten times as much for me, because I hate Twilight. Not just the Cullens. Not just the Werewolves. All of it. I want to murder Stephanie Myer for writing that shit.

Anyway, I'm now sitting down, leaning against my old friend, Mr. Mess Hall, trying to sort out some of the shit that went down. And, I seriously needed to separate fact from fiction, before I loose all sense of what happened and what didn't (and probably never will).

Fact: Me and Ivory are stuck in the 1800s.

Fiction: This is fun.

Fact: Life has been getting _very _confusing.

Fiction: I can get on the internet/play video games

Fact (?): Caleb isn't as he seems (in other words, he's not just a prick, he's a _backstabbing _prick).

Fiction: I love my life right now

Fact: I have a crush on Robert Gould Shaw.

Fiction: He likes me back.

Fact: Ivory has a crush on Forbes.

Fiction: They've confessed their love for each other.

Fact: Forbes likes Ivory back.

Fiction: Life is completely normal right now

Fact: I have a serious headache.

Fiction: I can just get up and grab some ibuprofen.

The point is, most (but not all) of the 'fact' ones are bad things, and most (again, not all) of the 'fiction' ones are good. When this happens, it means life, for me, is seriously f-ked up.

Sighing, I stood up; my head hurts like a bitch right now, and I need to find a better hiding spot so that Robert doesn't find me… and there that image goes again.

I swear, almost every time I think of him these days, I think of what he looks like without a shirt on. Though, I have to admit, he _is_ pretty damn hot… and I seriously need to get my mind out of the gutter.

The second I stood up, I immediately plopped back down, because a shooting pain went through my head. F-k, that hurts! Like, like… ever had a broken bone? Times the pain by ten, stick it in your head, and you've got me Groaning, I held my head in my hands.

"Headache, headache, go _away_. Go haunt Trip or Mulcahy," I moaned. And, as luck would have it, a few minutes later…

"Miss Brooke! _There _you are! Honestly, how you manage to evade me in such a small camp…" Like I may have mentioned before, Robert is the _only _person in this _entire f-king camp_ that calls me 'Miss Brooke'. Hell, the only other person who even _uses_ my last name when he talks to me is Mulcahy, and he just calls me 'Brooke'.

I groaned. Not _now_. _Why_? ! Why in the _hell _does this crap always happen to me? ! Ugh, I swear, I almost wish I was back home. Sure, there I'm the friendless outcast, but at least no one ever comes looking for me!

"Miss Brooke? Are you alright?" Robert suddenly asked, with a touch of concern in his voice.

"No…" I moaned, still clutching my head. He obviously didn't expect that particular response.

"What's wrong?" he asked, in that signature way of his where he manages to sound calm, while making it obvious that he's really panicking.

"I feel like my head's going to explode."

Silence.

"Go to the medical tent," he said slowly, sounding pretty damn freaked out, "and have your sister examine you." Ah, and there it is; that inability to deal with women. I swear, it became _pre_tty obvious that he does fine around guys, but with girls, he's kind of a wreck. Well, he doesn't really _show _it, but I'm a girl that (while liking him) doesn't fall all over him, and I'm not stupid, so I can kinda tell.

I rolled my eyes and stood up… only to immediately double over. Dear lord, this hurts! F-k, I don't think I've _ever _had a headache _this_ bad before! At least, when I get a headache, I can _usually _stand up and walk someplace! F-king hell!

"Miss Brooke!"

"I'm alright," I mumbled. "At least, I will be, as long as my head doesn't explode. Then? Probably not."

He grabbed my arm, obviously trying to get me to _not _fall flat on my face. Awwww, how sweet. Looks like in this time period, chivalry is still managing to cling to life before _normal boys_ (of my time) come along and shotgun it in the face 30,000 times with a 12-gauge before pissing on it's grave.

"Miss Brooke, you are _obviously _not alright," Robert said sternly. Oh really? Gee, I didn't notice.

"Pfft, did you _just _figure that out?" I grumbled. Then, everything went black.

**Past**

**Robert POV**

Robert had been looking for Ebony for awhile now, and yet, he found neither hide nor hair of her.

"Where on earth could that girl have gotten to?" he grumbled.

Then, finally, he found her, slouched behind the Mess Hall.

"Miss Brooke! _There _you are! Honestly, how you manage to evade me in such a small camp…" he half-mumbled the last part, though he had a feeling she heard him anyway.

She groaned, and he suddenly got the feeling that all was not well with this rebellious, raven-haired young woman.

"Miss Brooke? Are you alright?" Robert suddenly asked, feeling a bit concerned about her.

"No…" she moaned, shocking him. Now what? He honestly was not looking forward to this particular conversation, but…

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to mask the fact that he had absolutely _no _clue how to handle the situation at hand.

"I feel like my head's going to explode." Well, _that _was a colorful way to put it. He suddenly remembered a moment during Antietam, when the man in front of him was hit by a bombshell, and… the next thing he knew, the upper part of the man's head was gone, and some of his blood had splattered on Robert's face. Extremely traumatic.

"Go to the medical tent," Robert said slowly, trying to expel the memory from his mind, "and have your sister examine you."

She rolled her eyes and tried to stand up… only to immediately double over. He panicked.

"Miss Brooke!"

"I'm alright," she mumbled. "At least, I will be, as long as my head doesn't explode. Then? Probably not."

He grabbed her arm, trying to keep her upright.

"Miss Brooke, you are _obviously _not alright," Robert said sternly. This girl… she honestly needed to learn that she can't deal with everything herself.

"Pfft, did you _just _figure that out?" she grumbled. Then, she slumped against him. It didn't take a genius to realize that she'd passed out.

Now, by this point, Robert was at a loss as to what to do next. He was there to train men, for god sakes, not worry about the well-being of some girl!... though, he had to question himself on that. _Could _he still consider her as _just _'some girl' anymore? Especially when he could hardly ever stop thinking about her- no. No, he did _not _think of her in that way. She was his _camp aide_! He didn't _like _her! At least, not like that!

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he carefully laid her down on the ground, trying not to drop her, before quickly going to the medical tent. Carrying her was out of the question, and she obviously needed medical attention.

**Past**

**Ivory POV**

_Again_? ! Ebony passed out… _again_? ! Seriously, she needs to stop picking fights!

"How did she…? Was she fighting again or something?" The Colonel sighed.

"No, she was complaining of a headache… and she just… fell over. Unconscious." I blinked. She passed out… because of a headache? That's… a new one.

"Well, alright," said Sam, who'd been sitting behind me. "Just lead us to her, sir. We can take it from there."

He led us behind the Mess Hall, where sure enough, Ebony was laying on the ground. Sam picked her up carefully, one arm under the knees, the other behind the back. Bridal style.

"Well, let's just bring her back. God, she's heavy! I figured, with her being a girl, she'd be much lighter." I just shrugged. It probably had something to do with the fact that she stays cooped up, pigging out on donuts all the time.

I noticed Colonel Shaw look a bit… uncomfortable when Sam picked Ebony up. Why… wait, is, is he… does he _like _Ebony? Well, now that I think about it, he _does _seem to stare at her sometimes. Maybe… he has a crush on her? Awwww, how cute! That's so adorable! Plus, I think she likes him back. Seriously, that's just sweet!

After awhile, we got back to the medical tent, and Sam put Ebony down on the cot… table… thing… to examine her.

"Hm, no noticeable injuries on her head… or anywhere else for that matter… Well, this is odd. Seems like she just, passed out. I think we should just let her rest for awhile, and try to figure it out once she wakes up."

Well, after _that _whole fiasco, I sat down and sighed. Ebony's out cold, I'm too tired to walk around, and Forbes is nowhere in sight. Life, right now, is peaceful. Boring, but peaceful nonetheless.

I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes. I have to wonder; what's next on this rollercoaster thrill-ride of events?

**Oh noes! What's gonna happen to Ebony? Find out next time! Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter~! Review, please! I can't say that I'll pay you in the form of lint, because I have none D: BUT, I'll pay you in the form of virtual plushies of Robert, Thomas, Forbes, Jupiter, and Charlie! And for any guys out there that are reading this… here, have some Ebony and Ivory plushies :D **


	14. You Dirty Rat

**Well, it's here! The explanation as to why Ebony passed out last chapter :3 I'm really, **_**really **_**happy that you all like this so far! I mean, this is, what, the 14****th**** chapter, and this story already has 41 reviews? Epicness :) Two days left until high school. My schedule has me going from one end of the building to the other between almost every class all. Freaking. Day. D: Why do I get a bad feeling about this? Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Also, another twist in this chapter!**

**You Dirty Rat**

**Future**

**Caleb POV**

Well, I knew it would happen eventually. Markus, that filthy piece of shit, finally summoned me. To be honest, I don't give a _damn _about what he has to say.

"C'mon, get moving!" one of the guards shouted, yanking me forward. The barely healed wound on my upper right arm tore open a little. My prison shirt was stained with blood. I hissed in pain.

Finally, we made it to _his _chamber. The one where he watched everything that was happening back in the 1800s.

"Ah, Caleb, so nice of you to join us," said a smirking Markus. I glared at him.

"You prick!" I roared. "What did you do to Ebony and Ivory? WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY? !" His smirk widened into a grin.

"Now, what makes you think that I hurt them?"

"You dirty rat! Tell me what you did to them!"

"Hmph. How rude. Well, if you _must _know, they're still back in 1863. Ebony, ah, she was the experiment for my latest invention; a gun that makes you pass out. Unfortunately, there're still some kinks to work out…"

"WHAT DID YOU DO? !"

"Jeez, calm down already. She's not dead, if that's what you're thinking. She had a really bad migraine for about an hour or so, then she passed out. Nothing special. There shouldn't be any long-lasting effects… sadly." I really wanted to punch him right then.

"What, in the _f-k_, are you planning to do to them?"

"Language!" he admonished mockingly.

"Tell. Me." I demanded.

"You aren't really in what I'd called a place to make demands," he said, with the smirk returning. "I think I'll just leave my intentions a secret… for now."

"You know, Ebony's smart. She'll figure it out."

"Figure what out? That I'm impersonating you to manipulate them? Pfft, if she hasn't figured it out already, she won't ever. Not until she's in the very jail cell you'll have died in. You have three days. That's what I wanted to tell you."

"YOU SON OF A-"

"GUARDS!" I felt something hit me in the head. Hard. A tidal wave of pain rushed through my head. My vision swam.

"Ah-hem. Guards, take him away. I don't have any more business with him. Bye-bye, little bro. Have fun in Hell."

Before I was even dragged through the threshold of the doorway, I passed out.

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

What the hell? Why do I hear voices? And why can I focus on what they're saying? Wait what's that…?

"Why… woken…? When… going to… up? Is she al…?"

"I don't… Maybe she's going…?"

"But, I though you… okay!"

"So did I. But she… up, so…"

Wait, huh? What the hell? Are they talking about me? Maybe I'm going to what? Ugh, that's it, I've gotta get up already!

"Ugh, what time is it?" I asked managing to open my eyes. The light was dim, and I quickly realized that it was getting dark out.

"Ebony!" someone hugged me. I recognized the voice as Ivory's.

"Hey sis. What'd I miss?" I joked.

"You've been asleep for hours! Are you okay? What happened?"

"I don't know, okay? Could someone explain to me what the hell is going on?"

"You passed out," someone said. I looked to my right, and saw Sam.

"Yeah, and Colonel Shaw found you!" Uh, what? Robert found me…? What the- oh shit. _Now _I remember. I passed out in his arms. Well, isn't that just romantic? Actually, no, it's not. More like mortifying. Seriously, since when is my luck _this _bad? Oh, right; since I was born, that's when. F-k!

"I'm fine, I just… I just need to take a walk," I mumbled, hopping off of the cot thing I'd been laying on.

"Ebony, wait!" called Sam. "You still need to rest!"

"I'm fine. You said that I've been asleep for hours, right? So, I think I'm pretty well-rested right now. Bye." I rounded a corner. And another corner. And another corner. Until finally, I was right back in my favorite spot; the back-alley behind the Mess Hall. I think I'm starting to consider it as my 'special place'.

I laid down on the ground, arms behind my head, and watched the clouds move around. The sunset it a lot cooler now than it is in my time. No neon colors, though (probably because there's no pollution). Which makes it all the more epic, because I can't _stand _that tuna-that-a-cat-threw-up shade of pink.

Then, eventually, the stars started coming out. I have to admit, the stars out here are a _lot _brighter than they are in the 21st century. Maybe because there's no pollution or city lights to make them nearly _impossible _to see.

I took a deep breath. It's getting colder, moving from fall to winter. I wonder if we'll have to stay here through Christmas. God, I hope not. I want to see if I got a tablet for my computer. I wanna do some Gun X Sword drawings when we get back.

Then, I thought of something; _what the hell is the date_? Oh God, I hope it's not getting too close to the 15th. That's my- well, you know. My 'time of the month'. Now, personally, I don't really mind my period. It doesn't hit me all that hard. Sure, changing pads and tampons regularly is a bitch, but other than that, nothing really… happens. All that really changes is that I get a little more irritable.

But, in this time period, since I have NO pads and NO tampons, well, to say the very least, I'm screwed.

"Miss Brooke?" Oh, great. Robby decided to hunt me down again.

"Yup, it's me," I called over to him. I'm pretty sure he's behind me. I heard footsteps approaching, and then, suddenly, Robert was standing over me.

"What on earth are you doing? How long have you been awake?" he demanded.

"Uh, to answer your first question, I'm stargazing. To answer your second on, I don't have a clue. An hour ago, maybe…? I dunno, ask Sam or Ivory."

"Get up." It wasn't a request. It was a demand. I rolled my eyes and, just to piss him off, I started getting up very slowly.

"Miss Brooke, now," he snapped. Jeez, who shoved a stick up his ass?

"Okay, okay, jeez," I mumbled, getting up quickly.

Then, I remembered something Ivory told me back at school; it was a fact about Rob that was actually kind of interesting. She said that the Flaan said that in his letters home to his parents, Robert once said that he hates being called Bob. Seriously, I didn't believe it either, but when I looked it up, it was confirmed. Weird, huh? Hmmm, I wonder how he'd react…

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Rob told me to follow him.

"Yes sir," I said, sounding bored. He looked even more irritated than before, but turned around and started walking.

Then, under my breath, I mumbled, "Bob." He turned around. Whoa, did he actually _hear _that?

"What did you say?" he asked, looking confused and irritated.

"Uh, nothing?" I said hopefully. He didn't buy it. Damn.

"Did you just call me Bob?" he asked, looking kinda pissed now. _Shiiiiiit_, what, does he have owl hearing or something?

"Um, well…" I said, not wanting to admit to it, but, well, I doubted he'd believe me if I lied.

"_Why_?" he asked, seeming a little more confused, but still plenty pissed.

"Weeeeeeeell… I wanted to see how you'd react." He stared at me, but eventually seemed to realize that I was telling the truth.

"Don't _ever _call me that again. You are to refer to me as your commanding officer. You may only address me as 'Sir' or 'Colonel Shaw'. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir!" I said, saluting. I don't think he got that I was just trying to be a bitch about it.

He nodded, and once again turned around and started walking. I followed him, but, under my breath, I whispered, "Robert."

**Well, you guys now know about the whole Markus/Caleb situation. Interesting enough of a twist for ya? And yes, Markus caused the whole scenario with Ebony. BUT, it did **_**some **_**good, because it brought Robert and Ebony a little closer together. Also, yes, that little thing about Robert hating being called 'Bob' is true. I was actually reading about him, when I came across that little snippet of information, and decided to use it in this story :3 I'm so evil. So. Yeah. Review please!**


	15. Sleepless, Starry Nights

**Well, school starts tomorrow for me, but you won't get this update until after my first day. So, here's a random installment of 'What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?', because I have insomnia at the moment and I'm hoping that writing a short chapter might help me sleep. Don't ask me how. So, without further adu, let chapter 15 commence!**

**Sleepless, Starry Nights**

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

Why, just _why _do I have to have insomnia? _Why the f-k can't I sleep_? ! I mean, honestly, what did I do wrong?

It's been a week since the whole 'knock-out headache' incident. And, to be honest, at this point I want to shoot myself. I'm tired, but I can't sleep.

I thought about getting up and taking a walk around camp, but, well, we all know how well that turned out _last _time, and I doubt that Rob really wants a repeat of that. To be honest, neither do I; that was awkward as f-k.

Finally, against my better judgment (which is usually wrong anyway), I got up and decided to take a walk around the camp. But this time, I didn't spy on anyone, nor did I even _dare _to look at the window in Rob's little room, or even _around _it for that matter. I doubt he'd be up at… what time is it, anyway?

I pulled back my sleeve and clicked the clock hologram function on the watch. It read '12:11 PM'. So, just passed midnight. God, Ivory's going to have one helluva time waking me up tomo- no, later toady. About six or seven hours, to be exact.

Uh, wait, where was I, again…? Oh yeah, right; I doubt Rob would even be up at 11' past midnight, but I'm not taking any chances; I didn't think anyone else would be up at whatever time it was before, either, but, well, yeah.

I walked out into a nearby field, and laid myself out on the ground. If I can't sleep, I might as well look at some stars, right?

And so, for the next hour and a half, I laid there, stargazing, and occasionally checking the time. Then, out of nowhere…

"Who's out there? Don't pretend you aren't there; I can see you!" someone called. I recognized the voice as Robert's. Oh, shit. I don't remember when they said curfew was, but I'm pretty sure it started a _long _time ago.

I sat up, and turned to see him walking towards me. I gave a shaky grin.

"Uh, hi, sir," I managed to squeak out.

"Miss Brooke?" he said. I slowly nodded.

"… Dare I ask what you're doing out here at this time of night?" I was tempted to correct him on that; technically, it's morning. But (for once), I decided not to push my luck.

"Well, sir, I couldn't sleep," I said.

"So you decided to try and fall asleep outside?" he asked, giving me a look that I could clearly interpret as an 'I question your sanity' look. I sighed (though, I have to admit, my sanity _is _questionable).

"No, I'm watching the stars."

"_Why_?"

"I couldn't sleep, and I was bored." He sighed.

"Go back to your bunk."

"But-"

"That was not a request, Miss Brooke. Now."

I sighed, "Fine, but don't expect me to be able to get any sleep."

"And you're saying that you could sleep out here?"

"… Touché."

And so, I began followed Robert back to the barracks. Then, something occurred to me.

"Um, sir?"

"Yes?"

"What are _you _doing out here, anyway?" He stopped, and after a moment of silence, he turned to face me.

"I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Why do you want to know?"

I shrugged. "Just curious."

We continued walking. Finally, we got back to the barracks. I swear, that was one of the most _awkward _silences I've ever experienced.

We went inside, and I went to stand beside my bunk, while Robert continued walking to his room… thing… you know what, I'm just going to call it his office from now on.

Anyway, Robert was walking to his office, when I got up the guts to say something.

"Goodnight, sir." He stopped, and turned around. Then, for a few seconds, he just stared at me.

Finally, he said, "Goodnight, Ebony." And he walked away.

I laid down on my bunk, and it took a whole five minutes for me to realize that he didn't just call me 'Miss Brooke' like he usually does. He called me Ebony. Wow. Now if _that _isn't a breakthrough, I don't know what is. I sighed, and flopped over onto my side.

"Goodnight… Robert."

**Aw, now wasn't that just adorable? ** **Review!**


	16. Distributing Arms

**So… long time no see? *shot* Yes, I know I've been gone awhile. And I mean a WHILE. Er, sorry bout' that. I had absolutely **_**no **_**inspiration to write whatsoever. So, nothing else got done, either. Bah XD Btw, I love high school. My science teacher is freaking **_**crazy**_**, and I mean it. He's seriously unhinged. But in a funny way. My language arts teacher runs the anime club, my algebra teacher is funny as hell, my world history teacher is an ex-marine (not mean, though), and the rest of my teachers are equally as awesome. OH, and, also, I'm going to my first homecoming dance tomorrow (Saturday)! Whoop! It's a kind of remix theme; they're gonna have laser light shows, smoke machines, live DJs, the works. Only $20 for a ticket. I'll say it again; I f-king love this high school. Well, enough about my boring personal life. Time to get to the actual chapter (I'll bet half [if not all] of you forgot what happened last time because it's been so long, am I right? *shot*).**

**Distributing Arms**

**Past**

**Ebony POV**

I just woke up from the _weirdest _dream I've ever had. Maybe because of what happened last night. Maybe not. All I know is, it was f-king weird.

First off, I was listening to my iPod, on a school bus. Well, Ivory was there too. But the weird thing is, she wasn't sitting next to me like she usually was. Robert was. Yeah, weird, right? Actually, Ivory was sitting in the seat in front of me. And Forbes was sitting next to her. Weirder still.

For some reason, even though in dreams _everything _seems completely normal, no matter how bizarre, it didn't seem off or even slightly out of place that two guys from the mid-to-late 1800's were in the 21st century, sitting with me and my sister on a school bus. Then, when we reached the stop we (and by 'we' I mean me and Ivory) usually get off at, I woke up. The sun was just coming up. I was one of the first up an' at em'. Well, I'm not complaining. I don't feel tired (maybe because I'm _finally _getting used to being up an hour earlier than usual), and I don't have to be woken up. Pretty cool, I guess.

After that, things went pretty much routinely. Robert sent me to the postmaster again, with more letters to deliver. Apparently, he likes to write home. A lot.

When I came back, I noticed that everyone was lined up. Someone I quickly recognized as Rawlins was prying open a long crate. When it opened, he began reading numbers off a list, and then he took a gun out of the crate. Holy shit. The guys are getting guns today.

I jogged up to the building they were distributing them under (I didn't bother to look and see which one), only to run into Robert.

"Did you deliver the letters to the postmaster?" he asked.

"Yes sir," I replied, trying not to sound bored. "What's going on?"

"The men are receiving their arms today." Well, at least the 'slang' for guns is arms, not balls. Otherwise, that would've sounded _so _wrong.

"Ah, so, they're finally gonna learn to fight with a weapon?"

"Yes," he said slowly, giving me the 'why are you talking like a man?' look. A look I was used to getting from him. And pretty much everyone else around here, except for Ivory.

"Hmm, that's good." We lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. A voice from behind broke it.

"Robert! Ebony!" I recognized the voice as Thomas's. I turned around and smiled. Something I've been doing a lot more of lately. Weird how being throw against your will into another time period can change shit, huh?

"Hello, Thomas," said Robert, obviously trying to keep things formal. And failing.

"It's about time we got weapons," Thomas said, but good-naturedly, not rude or snarky like the boys back home would be. "There was a rumor going around, about us being used only for manual labor." That confused me. What the hell? I thought this was the army, not a slave plantation. Why wouldn't they get to fight?

"It's not true, is it?" asked Thomas, sounding a little worried. "About us not getting to fight? Because, everyone here's ready. I know I am!" In the background, one of the guys made clucking noises. I didn't even have to look to know that it was Trip.

Seeing as how I'd been forgotten, I just walked away without being dismissed. Not like they were paying attention.

I walked off the edge off the wooden porch-like thing, and saw something completely idiotic. The troops were _playing war_. Literally, pretending to shoot each other with their guns. My jaw dropped. What _morons_! What if those came loaded and someone's finger slips or something? ! They could kill each other, for real!

I hissed a sigh, rolled my eyes at their stupidity, and walked as far to the left of the madness as possible, so I was right up against the wall. I planned on showing Ivory Then, a shot rang out. Glass shattered. I cried out and fell backwards, feeling a shooting pain in my left arm… wait… left? The madness is to my right. So… I'm not hit. At least, not by a bullet.

I remember some glass shattering… maybe… maybe a shard or two got in my arm? I looked more closely at my injured arm, and quickly realized that that was the case. Being in a time where surgeons _cut off _the body part that got hit, I really dodged a bullet there. No pun intended.

Several people called my name at once.

"Ebony!"

"E-Ebony? !"

"Ebony! Are you alright? !"

"Miss Brooke!"

"Sis!"

Because so much was going on at once, I couldn't make out who the first or third voices belonged to, but the second, I'm pretty sure was Jupiter (the stutter never fails to help identify him), the fourth was Robert's (like I've said before he's the _only one _that doesn't just call me by my first name, except Mulcahy, and he just calls me 'Brooke'), and last one was definitely Ivory.

Wincing, I stood. Five people reached me at once; Ivory, Robert, Forbes, Thomas, and Jupiter. Well, that settles who the two unidentified voices belonged to.

"Ebony!" that was Thomas. "Are you hit? !"

"No," I said, grimacing, "but I think I have some glass in my arm." I took my hand away so they could see. Everyone grimaced.

"E-E-Ebony, I-I'm so sorry!" stuttered Jupiter. I'm assuming he's the one who shot.

"It's alright; I don't look dead, do I?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. I was ignored. F-k.

"Miss Ivory," Robert said, turning his attention to my sister. "Take Miss Ebony to the medical tent and make sure her arm is attended to. Dismissed."

Ivory saluted, and walked away, with me in tow. Well, what a helluva day _this _turned out to be.

**Yes, Ebony was near enough to the glass bottle that Jupiter shattered to get hit with some glass. Oh, trust me, this is **_**not **_**the last time Ebony's going to get hurt. That much you can count on. Well, with that said… typed… whatever, this is Katie (yes, my real name is Katie), signing out!**


End file.
